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136|i 


Form  L-9-5(,v-5,"24 


PRACTICAL 


Exercises  in  English 


BY 

RUBER  GRAY  BUEHLER 

MASTER  IN   ENGLISH   IN   THE   HOTCHKISS   SCHOOL 


ARRANGED     FOR     USE    WITH 
ADAMS  SHERMAN  HILL'S 

"FOUNDATIONS   OF  RHETORIC" 


/  0  OZiy' 


NEW  YORK  •:•  CINCINNATI  •:•  CHICAGO 

AMEKICAN     BOOK     COMPANY 
\  OO  Z.S' 


Copyright,  1895,  by  Harper  &  Brothers. 

All  rights  reserved. 
W.  P.  5 


PE 

11   /    / 


PREFACE 


The  art  of  using  one's  native  tongue  correctly  and  for- 
cibly is  acquired  for  the  most  part  through  imitation  and 
practice,  and  is  not  so  much  a  matter  of  knowledge  as  of 
habit.  As  regards  English,  then,  the  first  duty  of  our 
schools  is  to  set  before  pupils  excellent  models,  and,  in  all 
departments  of  school-woi'k,  to  keep  a  watchful  eye  on 
the  innumerable  acts  of  expression,  oral  and  written,  which 
go  to  form  habit.  Since,  however,  pupils  come  to  school 
with  many  of  their  habits  of  expression  already  formed  on 
bad  models,  our  schools  must  give  some  attention  to  the 
special  work  of  pointing  out  common  errors  of  speech,  and 
of  leading  pupils  to  convert  knowledge  of  these  errors  into 
new  and  correct  habits  of  expression.  This  is  the  branch 
of  English  teaching  in  which  this  little  book  hopes  to  be 
useful. 

All  the  "  Exercises  in  English "  with  which  I  am  ac- 
quainted consist  chiefly  of  "  sentences  to  be  corrected." 
To  such  exercises  there  are  grave  objections.  If,  on  the 
one  hand,  the  fault  in  the  given  sentence  is  not  seen  at  a 
glance,  the  pupil  is  likely,  as  experience  has  shown,  to  pass 
it  by  and  to  change  something  that  is  not  wrong.     If,  on 


iv  PREFACE 

the  other  hand,  the  fault  is  obvious,  the  exercise  has  no 
value  in  the  formation  of  habit.  Take,  for  example,  two 
"  sentences  for  correction  "  which  I  select  at  random  from 
one  of  the  most  widely  used  books  of  its  class  :  "  I  knew  it 
was  him,"  and  "  Sit  the  plates  on  the  table."  A  pupil  of 
any  wit  will  at  once  see  that  the  mistakes  must  be  in 
"him"  and  "sit,"  and  knowing  that  the  alternatives  are 
"he"  and  "set,"  he  will  at  once  correct  the  sentences 
without  knowing,  perhaps,  why  one  form  is  wrong,  the 
other  right.  He  has  not  gained  anything  valuable  ;  he  has 
simply  "  slid  "  through  his  exercise.  Moreover,  such  "  sen- 
tences for  correction  "  violate  a  fundamental  principle  of 
teaching  English  by  setting  before  the  impressionable 
minds  of  pupils  bad  models.  Finally,  such  exercises  are 
unnatural,  because  the  habit  which  we  hope  to  form  in 
our  pupils  is  not  the  habit  of  correcting  mistakes,  but 
the  habit  of  avoiding  them. 

Correct  English  is  largely  a  matter  of  correct  choice  be- 
tween two  or  more  forms  of  expression,  and  in  this  book 
an  attempt  has  been  made,  as  a  glance  at  the  pages  will 
show,  to  throw  the  exercises,  whenever  possible,  into  a  form 
consistent  with  this  truth.  Though  a  pupil  may  change 
"who"  to  "whom"  without  knowing  why,  he  cannot 
repeatedly  choose  correctly  between  these  forms  without 
strengthening  his  own  habit  of  correct  expression. 

This  book  has  been  prepared  primarily  as  a  companion 
to  Professor  A.  S.  Hill's  "  Foundations  of  Rhetoric,"  in 
answer  to  the  request  of  many  teachers  for  exercises  to 


PREFACE  V 

use  with  that  admirable  work.'  Without  the  friendly  en- 
couragement of  Professor  Hill  the  task  would  not  have 
been  undertaken,  and  to  him  above  all  others  I  am  indebted 
for  assistance  in  completing  it.  He  has  permitted  me  to 
draw  freely  on  his  published  works  ;  he  has  provided  me 
with  advance  sheets  of  the  revised  edition  of  "  Principles 
of  Rhetoric ;"  he  has  put  at  ray  disposal  much  useful  mate- 
rial gleaned  from  his  own  experience  ;  he  has  read  the 
manuscript  and  proofs,  and,  without  assuming  any  respon- 
sibility for  shortcomings,  he  has  suggested  many  improve- 
ments. I  am  also  indebted  to  Mr.  E.  G.  Coy,  Headmaster 
of  the  Hotchkiss  School,  for  many  valuable  suggestions, 
and  to  my  colleague,  Mr.  J.  E.  Barss,  for  assistance  in  the 
proof-reading. 

The  quotations  from  "  The  Century  Dictionary  "  are  made 
under  an  arrangement  with  the  owners  of  the  copyright 
of  that  work,  I  am  also  indebted  to  Professor  Barrett 
Wendell,  Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  and  Messrs. 
Macmillan  &  Co.  for  permission   to   use  brief  quotations 

from  their  works. 

H.  G.  B 

Lakevillk,  Conn.,  September,  1895. 

*  See  Appeudix :  Suggestions  to  Teachers. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 
CHAPTER 

Q 
I.    GOOD    USE ' 

12 
II.    ARTICLES      .       .       .       , 

III.  NOUNS ° 

IV.  PRONOUNS    

V.    VERBS      

VI.    ADJECTIVES    ANlt    ADVERBS i'^^ 

134 
VII.    PREPOSITIONS 

142 
VIII.    CONJUNCTIONS 

151 

APPENDIX 

INDEX .,.,..    158 


PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 


IMIACTICAL 
EXERCISES    IN    ENGLISH 


CHAPTER   I. 
OF      GOOD      USE 

Why  is  it  that  for  the  purposes  of  English  composition 
one  word  is  not  so  good  as  another?  To  this  question  we 
shall  get  a  general  answer  if  we  examine  the  effect  of  cer- 
tain classes  of  expressions. 

Present  Use. — Let  us  examine  first  the  effect  produced 
by  tliree  passages  in  the  authorized  version  of  the  Eng- 
lish Bible  —  a  version  made  by  order  of  King  James  in 
1611:— 

* 

"For  these  two  years  hath  the  famine  been  in  the  land,  and  yet 
there  are  five  years,  in  the  which  there  shall  neither  be  earing  nor 
harvest "  (Gen.  xlv.  6). 

"  O  ye  sons  of  men,  how  long  will  ye  turn  my  glory  into  shame? 
how  long  will  ye  love  vanity,  and  seek  after  leasing?"  (Psa.  iv.  2). 

"  Now  I  would  not  have  you  ignorant,  brethren,  that  oftentimes  I 
purposed  to  come  unto  you,  but  was  let  hitherto"  (Rom.i.  13). 

See  also  Gen.  xxv.  29;  Matt.  iii.  8;  Acts  viii.  3;  1  Thess.  iv.  15. 

An  ordinary  reader  of  our  time  cannot  without  assist- 
ance fully  understand  these  passages,  because  the  words 
"  earing,"  "  leasing,"  and  "  let  "  convey  to  his  mind  either 
no  idea  at  all  or  a  wrong  idea.     Two  hundred  and  eighty 


4  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

years  ago,  when  this  translation  of  the  Bible  was  made, 
these  words  were  common  words  with  plain  meanings  ;  but 
"earing"  and  "leasing"  have  since  dropped  out  of  com- 
mon use, and  "let"  has  acquired  a  different  meaning;  con- 
sequently an  ordinary  reader  of  the  present  time  must 
consult  a  dictionary  before  he  can  be  sure  what  the  pas- 
sages mean.  Words  and  meanings  which  have  gone  out 
of  use  are  called  obsolete.  There  is  not  much  temptation  to 
use  obsolete  words;  but  the  temptation  sometimes  comes. 
Therefore  we  note,  as  our  first  conclusion,  that  a  person 
who  wishes  to  be  understood  must  avoid  expressions  and 
meanings  which  are  not  m  present  use. 

National  Use. — A  boy  from  southern  Pennsylvania  was 
visiting  in  New  York  State.  In  the  midst  of  some  prep- 
arations for  a  fishing  excursion  he  said  to  his  host,  "  Shall 
I  take  my  gums  along?"  His  host  burst  out  laughing  and 
said,  "  Of  course  ;  did  you  think  of  taking  them  out  of 
your  mouth  and  leaving  them  at  home?"  '  Unconsciously 
the  boy  had  used  a  good  English  word  in  a  sense  peculiar 
to  the  district  in  which  he  lived ;  his  host  had  understood 
the  word  in  its  proper  sense. 

On  another  occasion  a  gentleman  who  had  just  arrived 
at  a  hotel  in  Kennebunkport,  Me.,  agreed  to  a  proposal  to 
"go  down  to  the  beach  in  the  barged  Going  to  his  room, 
he  prepared  for  a  little  excursion  on  the  river  which  flowed 
by  the  hotel.  When  he  returned,  he  was  greatly  surprised 
to  find  his  friends  about  to  start  for  the  beach  in  a  large 
omrdbus.  .  Another  gentleman  once  asked  a  young  lady  to 
go  ^'•riding''''  with  him.  At  the  appointed  hour  he  drove 
to  her  house  in  a  buggy,  and  she  came  down  to  meet  him 
in  her  riding  habit. 

These  incidents  show  that  if  we   use  expressions  that 

'  This  and  the  two  following  incidents  are  from  the  writer's  own  obser- 
vation. 


OF  GOOD  USE  5 

are  only  local,  or  use  words  in  local  senses,  we  are  liable 
either  to  be  misunderstood  or  not  to  be  understood  at  all. 
Obscurity  also  arises  from  the  use  of  words  in  senses  which 
are  peculiar  to  a  certain  class  or  profession.  For  example, 
to  a  person  who  is  not  familiar  with  commercial  slang, 
this  sentence  from  the  market  columns  of  a  newspaper  is  a 
puzzle : — 

"Java  coffees  are  dull  and  easy,  though  they  are  statistically 
strong." 

The  following  directions  for  anchoring  in  a  gale  of  wind 
are  taken  from  a  book  called  "  How  to  Sail  a  Boat " : — 

"When  everything  is  ready,  bring  the  yacht  to  the  wind,  and  let 
the  sails  shake  in  the  wind's  eye;  and,  so  soon  as  she  gets  stern-icay, 
let  go  the  best  bower  anchor,  taking  care  not  to  snub  her  too  quickly, 
but  to  let  considerable  of  the  cable  run  out  before  checking  her ;  then 
take  a  turn  or  two  around  the  knight-heads,"  etc. 

If  a  landsman's  safety  depended  on  his  understand- 
ing these  directions,  there  would  not  be  much  hope  for 
him. 

The  following  extract  is  from  a  newspaper  report  of  a 
game  of  ball : — 

"  In  the  eighth  inning  Anson  jumped  from  one  box  into  the  other 
and  whacked  a  wide  one  into  extreme  right.  It  was  a  tliree-base  jolt 
and  was  made  when  Gastright  intended  to  force  the  old  man  to  first. 
The  Brooklyns  howled  and  claimed  that  Anson  was  out,  but  McQuaid 
thought  diffei'ently.  Both  teams  were  crippled.  Lange  will  be  laid 
up  for  a  week  or  so.     One  pitcher  was  batted  out  of  the  box." 

This  narrative  may  seem  commonplace  to  school-boys, 
but  to  their  mothers  and  sisters  it  must  seem  alarm- 
ing. 

Our  second  conclusion,  therefore,  is  that  a  person  who 
Avishes  to  be  understood  must  avoid  words  and  phrases  that 
are  not  understood,  and  understood  in  the  same  sense,  in 


6  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  L\  ENGLISH 

every  part  of  the  country,  and  in  every  class  or  profes- 


sion.' 


Reputable  Use. — Let  us  examine  now  the  effect  produced 
by  a  third  kind  of  expression,  namely,  words  and  phrases 
"not  used  by  writers  and  speakers  of  established  reputa- 
tion."^ Let  us  take  as  our  illustrations  the  familiar  ex- 
pressions, "He  done  it"  and  "Please  set  in  this  seat." 
Each  of  these  expressions  is  common  at  the  present  time, 
and  its  meaning  is  instantly  clear  to  any  one  who  speaks 
English.  But  these  expressions,  not  being  used  by  well- 
informed  and  careful  speakers,  produce  in  the  mind  of  a 
well-informed  hearer  an  impression  of  vulgarity  like  that 
which  we  get  from  seeing  a  person  eat  with  his  knife.  In 
language,  as  in  manners  and  fashions,  the  law  is  found  in 
the  custom  of  the  best  people  ;  and  persons  who  wish  to 
be  classed  as  cultivated  people  must  speak  and  write  like 
cultivated  people.  There  is  no  moral  wrong  in  a  person's 
saying  "  Please  set  in  this  seat,"  and  if  he  does  say  it  he 
will  probably  be  understood ;  but  persons  who  use  this  or 
any  other  expression  which  is  not  in  reputable  use  run  the 
risk  of  being  classed  as  ignorant,  affected,  or  vulgar. 

Good  Use. — It  appears,  therefore,  that  words  and  phrases, 
in  order  to  be  proper  expressions  for  use  in  English  prose, 
(l)  must  be  in  common  use  at  the  present  time ;  (2)  the}'- 
must  be  used,  and  used  in  the  same  sense,  in  every  part 
of  the  country,  and  in  every  class  and  profession ;  (3) 
they  must  be  expressions  used  by  writers  and  speakers  of 
established  reputation.  In  other  words,  our  expressions 
must  be  in  present,  national,  and  reputable  use.  Expres- 
sions which  fulfil  these  three  conditions  are  said  to  be  in 
good  use. 

The  next  question  that  presents  itself  to  one  who  wishes 

1  A.  S.  Hill :  Foundations  of  Rhetoric,  p.  28. 
'  Ibid.,  p.  20. 


OF  GOOD   USE  7 

to  use  English  correctly  is,  How  am  I  to  know  what  words 
and  expressions  are  in  good  use? 

Conversation  and  Good  Use. — Good  use  cannot  be  de- 
terniiiu'd  solely  by  observing  the  conversation  of  our 
associates  ;  for  the  chances  are  that  they  use  many  local 
expressions,  some  slang,  and  possibly  some  vulgarisms. 
"  You  often  hear  it "  is  not  proof  that  an  expression  is  in 
good  use. 

Newspapers  and  Good  Use.  —  Nor  can  good  use  be 
learned  from  what  we  see  in  newspapers.  Newspapers  of 
high  rank  contain  from  time  to  time,  especially  in  their 
editorial  columns,  some  of  the  best  modern  prose,  and 
much  literature  that  has  become  standard  was  first  printed 
in  periodicals;  but  most  of  the  prose  in  newspapers  is 
written  necessarily  by  contributors  who  do  not  belong  to 
the  class  of  "speakers  or  writers  whom  the  world  deems 
the  best."  As  the  newspaper  in  its  news  records  the  life 
of  every  day,  so  in  its  style  it  too  frequently  records  the 
slang  of  daily  life  and  the  faults  of  ordinary  conversation. 
A  newspaper  contains  bits  of  English  prose  from  hundreds 
of  different  pens,  some  skilled,  some  unskilled  ;  and  this 
jumble  of  styles  does  not  determine  good  use. 

No  one  Book  or  Writer  Decisive. — Nor  is  good  use  to 
be  learned  from  our  favorite  author,  unsupported  by  other 
authority;  not  even,  as  we  have  seen,  from  the  English 
Bible,  when  it  stands  alone.  No  writer,  even  the  greatest, 
is  free  from  occasional  errors  ;  but  these  accidental  slips  are 
not  to  be  considered  in  determining  good  use.  Good  use 
is  decided  by  the  prevailing  usage  of  the  writers  whose 
works  make  up  permanent  English  literature,  not  by  their 
inadvertencies.  "  The  fact  that  Shakspere  uses  a  word,  or 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  or  Burke,  or  Washington  Irving,  or  who- 
ever happens  to  be  writing  earnestly  in  Melbourne  or  Sid- 
ney, does  not  make  it  reputable.     The  fact  that  all  five  of 


8  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

these  authorities  use  the  word  in  the  same  sense  would  go 
very  far  to  establish  the  usage.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
fact  that  any  number  of  newspaper  reporters  agree  in 
usage  does  not  make  the  usage  reputable.  The  style  of 
newspaper  reporters  is  not  without  merit;  it  is  very  rarely 
unreadable ;  but  for  all  its  virtue  it  is  rarely  a  well  of  Eng- 
lish undeliled."' 

"  Reputable  use  is  fixed,  not  by  the  practice  of  those 
whom  A  or  B  deems  the  best  speakers  or  writers,  but  by 
the  practice  of  those  whom  the  world  deems  the  best, — 
those  who  are  in  the  best  repute,  not  indeed  as  to  thought, 
but  as  to  expression,  the  manner  of  communicating  thought. 
The  practice  of  no  one  writer,  however  high  he  may  stand 
in  the  public  estimation," is  enough  to  settle  a  point;  but 
the  uniform  or  nearly  uniform  practice  of  reputable  speak- 
ers or  writers  is  decisive."  "^ 

Good  Reading  the  Foundation  of  Good  Speaking  and 
Writing. — To  the  question  how  to  become  familiar  with 
good  use  the  first  answer  is,  read  the  best  literature. 
Language,  like  manners,  is  learned  for  the  most  part  by 
imitation  ;  and  a  person  w^ho  is  familiar  with  the  language 
of  reputable  writers  and  speakers  will  use  good  English 
without  conscious  effort,  just  as  a  child  brought  up  among 
refined  people  generally  has  good  manners  without  know- 
ing it.  Good  reading  is  indispensable  to  good  speaking  or 
writing.  Without  this,  rules  and  dictionaries  are  of  no 
avail.  In  reading  the  biographies  of  eminent  writers,  it  is 
interesting  to  note  how  many  of  them  were  great  readers 
when  they  were  young ;  and  teachers  can  testify  that 
the  best  writers  among  their  pupils  are  those  who  have 
read  good  literature  or  who  have  been  accustomed  to 
hear  good  English  at  home.     The  student  of  expression 

'  Barrett  Wendell :  English  Composition,  p.  21. 

*  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  16. 


OF  GOOD  USE  9 

should  begin  at  once  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  good 
literature. 

The  Use  of  Dietionapies. — To  become  acquainted  with 
good  literature,  however,  takes  a  long  time  ;  and  to  decide, 
by  direct  reference  to  the  usage  of  the  best  writers,  every 
question  that  arises  in  composition,  is  not  possible  for  be- 
ginners. In  certain  cases  beginners  must  go  to  dictionaries 
to  learn  what  good  use  approves.  Dictionaries  do  not  make 
good  use,  but  by  recording  the  facts  learned  by  professional 
investigators  they  answer  many  questions  regarding  it.  To 
one  who  wishes  to  speak  and  write  well  a  good  dictionary 
is  indispensable. 

"The  Foundations  of  Rhetorie." — Dictionaries, however, 
are  not  always  a  sufficient  guide;  for,  being  records,  they 
aim  to  give  all  the  senses  in  which  a  word  is  used,  and 
do  not  always  tell  which  sense  is  approved  by  the  best 
usage.  Large  dictionaries  contain  many  words  which 
have  gone  out  of  good  use  and  other  words  which  have  not 
yet  come  into  good  use.  Moreover,  they  treat  of  words 
only,  not  of  constructions  and  long  expressions.  Additional 
help  in  determining  good  use  is  required  by  beginners,  and 
this  help  is  to  be  found  in  such  books  as  Professor  A.  S. 
Hill's  "Foundations  of  Rhetoric."  The  investigations  of 
a  specialist  are  there  recorded  in  a  convenient  form,  with 
particular  reference  to  the  needs  of  beginners  and  of  those 
who  have  been  under  the  influence  of  bad  models.  Com- 
mon errors  are  explained  and  corrected,  and  the  funda- 
mental merits  of  good  expression  are  set  forth  and  illus- 
trated. 

Puppose  of  these  Exepeises. — In  the  following  exercises, 
which  are  intended  for  drill  on  some  of  these  elements  of 
good  expression,  care  has  been  taken  to  put  the  questions 
into  the  forms  in  which  they  arise  in  actual  composition. 
The  notes  which  precede  the  exercises  are  only  hints;  for 


10 


PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 


full  discussions  of  the  principles  involved  the  student  must 
consult  larger  works. 

Some  Convenient  Names 

Phrases  that  have  gone  out  of  use,  said 
to  be  AKCHAic  or  obsolete. 

Brand-new  words  which  have  not  be- 
come established  in  good  use:  as,  "bur- 
glarize," "enthuse,"  "electrocute." 

Phrases  introduced  from  foreign  coun- 
tries (called  POREiGNisMS,  alienisms),  or 
peculiar  to  some  district  or  province 
(called  provincialisms).  A  phrase  in- 
troduced from  France  is  called-  a  Oalli- 
cism;  from  England,  an  Anglicism.  A 
phrase  peculiar  to  America  is  called  an 
Americanism.  Similarly  we  have  the 
terms  Latinism,  Hellenism,  Teutonism, 
etc.  All  tliese  names  may  be  applied 
also  to  certain  kinds  of  Improprieties 
and  Solecisms. 


Barbarisms  :  Words  and 
phrases  not  English ;  ^'.e., 
not  authorized  by  good 
English  use.  The  name 
comes  from  a  Greek 
word  meaning  "  for- 
eign," "strange." 


Most  errors  in  the  use  of  English 
are  Improprieties,  which  are  far  more 
common  than  Barbarisms  and  Sole- 
cisms. No  classification  of  them  is  here 
attempted. 


Improprieties:  Good  1 

English  words  or  phrases 

us^d  in  wrong  senses; 

as,  "I  giiess  I'll  go  to 

bed;"   "He  is  stopping 

for  a  week  at  the  Berk- 
j     shire  Inn." 

Solecisms  :  Constructions  not  English,  commonly  called  cases  of 
"bad  grammw""  or  ''fgfAe  syntax":  as,  "She  ^nvited  Mrs.  Roe  and 
J  to  go  driving  vvith  her."'  '''Solecism"  is  derive'd  from  SoU,  the 
name  of  a  Greek  tribe  who  lived  in  Cilicia  and  spoke  bad  Greek. 

Slang  is  a  general  name  for  current,  vulgar,  unauthorized  language. 
It  may  take  the  form  of  barbarism,  impropriety,  or  solecism. 

A  Colloquialism  is  an  expression  peculiar  to  familiar  conve^sa^ 
tion. 

A  Vulgarism  is  an  expression  peculiar  to  vulgar  or  ignorant 
people. 


OF  GOOD   USE  11 

EXERCISE  I. 

1.  Make  a  list  of  the  provincial  expressions  you  can  think  of,  and 
give  their  equivalents  in  national  Englisli. 

2.  Make  a  list  of  the  slang  or  vulgar  expressions  you  can  think  of, 
aud  give  their  equivalents  in  reputable  English. 

3.  Make  a  list  of  the  words,  forms,  and  phrases  not  in  present  use 
which  you  can  find  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of  Matthew, 
authorized  version,  and  give  their  equivalents  in  modern  English. 

EXERCISE  II. 
Which  word  in  the  following  pairs  should  an  American  prefer? 
Consult  Hill's  "Foundations  of  Rhetoric,"  pp.  28-29:  Coal,  coals; 
jug,  pitcher;   street  railway,  tramway ;   post-card,  postal-card ;   de- 
pot, station. 

EXERCISE  III. 

1.  Arrange  the  following  words  in  two  columns,  putting  in  the 
first  column  words  that  are  in  good  use,  in  the  second,  words  that 
are  not  in  good  use.  Consult  Hill's  "Foundations  of  Rhetoric," 
pp.  27-29:  Omnibus,  succotash,  welkin,  ere,  nee,  depot,  veto,  func- 
tion (in  the  sense  of  social  entertainment),  to  pan  out,  twain,  on 
the  docket,  kine,  gerrymander,  carven,  caucus,  steed,  to  coast  (on 
sled  or  bicycle),  posted  (informed),  to  watch  out,  right  (very). 

2.  Give  good  English  equivalents  for  the  words  which  are  not  in 
good  use. 


SlA'lBNOKMALSCaoOL 


CHAPTER  II. 

OF      ARTICLES 

A  or  An.' — The  choice  between  these  forms  is  determined 
by  sound,  not  by  spelling.  Before  a  consonant  sound  "  a  " 
is  used  ;  before  a  vowel  sound  "  an"  is  used. 

EXERCISE  IV. 

Put  the  proper  form,  "a"  or  "an,"  before  each  of  these  expres- 
sions:— Elephant,  apple,  egg,  union  of  states,  uniform,  uninformed 
-  person,  universal  custom,  umpire,  Unitarian  church,  anthem,  unfor- 
tunate man,  united  people,  American,  European,  Englishman,  one, 
high  hill,  horse,  honorable  career,  hypocrite,  humble  spirit,  honest 
boy,  hypothesis,  history,  historical  sketch,  heir,  hundred,  hereditary 
disease,  household. 

The  or  A.° — "  The  "  is  a  broken  -  down  form  of  the  old 
English  thoet,  from  which  we  also  get  "  that,"  and  is  used 
to  point  out  some  particular  person,  thing,  or  class  :  as, 
"  The  headmaster  of  the  school  gave  the  boys  permission." 
When  "  the  "  is  used  before  the  name  of  a  particular  class 
of  persons  or  things  it  is  called  the  "generic"  article  (from 
genus,  ^^ a,  class"):  as,  " None  but  the  brave  deserve  the 
fair";  "  77ie  eagle  is  our  national  bird." 

"An"  ("a")  is  a  broken-down  form  of  the  old  English 
woi-d  ane,  meaning  "one."  It  is  properly  used  when  the 
object  is  thought  of  as  one  of  a  class:  as,  "There  is  an 
eagle  in  the  zoological  garden."  It  cannot  properly  be  used 
before  a  word  which  is  used  as  a  class  name,  because  a  class 
name  includes  in  its  meaning  more  than  "  one." 

'  "  Foundations,"  pp.  32-33. 
2  Ibid.,  pp.  3«-34. 


OF   ARTICLES  13 

Superfluous  and  Omitted  Aptieles.' — The  use  of  a  super- 
fluous "a"  or  "an"  before  a  class  name,  especially  after 
the  words  "  sort "  and  "  kind,"  is  a  common  and  obstinate 
error.  We  may  say,  "This  is  an  eagle,"  meaning  "one 
eagle."  But  we  may  not  say,  '^  An  eagle  is  our  national 
bird,"  "This  is  a  rare  kind  of  an  eagle,"  or,  "It  is  not 
worthy  of  the  name  of  cm  eagle";  because  in  these  sen- 
tences "  eagle  "  is  used  as  the  name,  not  of  a  sinsrle  bird,  but 
of  a  class  of  birds,  and  includes  in  its  meaning  all  the  birds 
which  belong  to  the  class  called  "eagle."  The  sentences 
are  equivalent  to:  "The  kind  of  bird  called  'eagle'  is  our 
national  bird  ;"  "This  is  a  rare  species  of  the  class  of  birds 
called  '  eagle;' "  "  It  is  not  worthy  of  the  name  given  to  the 
birds  which  belong  to  the  class  called  '  eagle.' " 

EXERCISE  V. 

Tell  tJie  difference  in  meaniivg  between : — 

1.  The  (a)  house  is  on  fire. 

2.  Yes,  I  heard  (the)  shouts  in  the  street. 

3.  About  eight  o'clock  (the)  gaiests  began  to  come. 

4.  Yes,  I  heard  (the)  noises  in  the  next  room. 

5.  The  (an)  elephant  stood  on  a  cask,  and  the  (a)  clown  sat  on  the 
elephant's  back. 

6.  The  President  has  appointed  a  commission  to  investigate  the 
cause  of  (the)  strikes. 

7.  Will  he  let  us  look  at  (the)  stars  tlirough  the  (a)  telescope? 

8.  (The)  teacher  and  (the)  pupil  are  interested  in  this  question. 

9.  He  told  us  about  an  (tlie)  accident. 

10.  Fire  is  beautiful.     The  fire  is  beautiful. 

11.  He  was  a  belter  scholar  thau  (an)  athlete. 
13.  A  young  and  (a)  delicate  girl. 

13.  He  liked  the  bread  and  (the)  butter. 

14.  A  pink  and  (a)  lavender  gown. 

15.  The  wise  and  (the)  good. 

16.  Wanted,  a  cook  and  (a)  housemaid.  / 

17.  Tlie  black  and  (the)  white  cow. 

'  "Foundations,"  pp.  34-39. 


14  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

18.  The  athlete,  (tlie)  soldier,  (the)  statesman,  and  (the)  poet. 

19.  A  secretary  and  (a)  treasurer. 

30.  The  corresponding  and  (the)  recording  secretary. 
21.  The  honest,  (the)  wise,  and  (the)  patriotic  senators  voted  against 
the  bill. 

32.  A  cotton  and  (a)  silk  umbrella. 

33.  The  tenth  and  (the)  last  chapter. 

EXERCISE  VI. 

Insert  the  proper  article  {"a,"  "an,"  or  "the  ")  in  each  blank  place 
in  the  following,  if  an  article  is  needed ;  if  no  article  is  needed,  leave 
the  place  blank : — 

1.  I  began  to  suffer  from  —  want  of  food. 

3.  There  are  two  articles,  the  definite  and  —  indefinite. 

3.  He  did  not  say  what  kind  of  —  horse  he  wanted  to  buy. 

4.  Did  Macaulay  die  of  —  heart  disease  ? 

5.  Nouns  have  two  numbers,  —  singular  and  —  pluraL 

6.  —  third  and  —  fourth  page  are  to  be  learned. 

7.  —  third  and  —  fourth  pages  are  to  be  learned. 

8.  Many  names  of  —  states  are  derived  from  —  Indian  tongues. 

9.  This  is  a  curious  species  of  —  rose. 

10.  Study  carefully  —  first  and  —  second  chapters. 

11.  A  black  and  —  white  boy  were  walking  together. 

13.  —  violet  is  my  favorite  flower ;  —  robin,  my  favorite  bird. 

13.  There  is  an  impenetrable  veil  between  —  visible  and  —  invis- 
ible world. 

14.  —  lion  is  —  king  of  beasts. 

15.  Thackeray  was  a  greater  writer  than  —  artist.  Thackeray  was 
greater  as  —  writer  than  as  —  artist. 

16.  The  bank  closed  its  doors  from  —  lack  of  ready  money. 

17.  I  despise  not  —  giver,  but  —  gift. 

18.  —  whole  is  greater  than  any  of  its  parts. 

19.  He  is  entitled  to  the  name  of  —  scholar. 

30.  I  do  not  use  that  sort  of  —  pen. 

31.  In  —  warm  weather  you  do  not  need  so  many  wraps  as  in  — 
cold  weather. 

23.  The  Queen  conferred  on  Tennyson  the  title  of  —  baron. 
33.  It  does  not  matter  what  kind  of  —  man  is  appointed. 

24.  It  is  found  in  both  —  old  and  —  new  editions. 


OF   ARTICLES  15 

25.  Tlie  fourth  and  —  fifth  verse. 

26.  Tlie  fourth  and  —  fifth  verses. 

27.  Abraham  Lincoln  was  —  great  and  —  good  man. 

28.  —  families  of  —  strikers  are  sadly  iu  —  need  of  food. 

29.  Here  are  two  bottles,  —  one  empty,  —  other  full  of  —  red 
liquid. 

30.  Ariel  had  —  power  to  control  —  sea. 

31.  Evangeline  travelled  far  in  —  search  of  Gabriel. 

32.  Illustrate  by  an  original  sentence  —  preterite  and  —  past  par- 
ticiple of  the  following  verbs. 

33.  To  —  student  of  Latin  or  Greek  a  knowledge  of  —  difference 
in  meaning  in  English  between  —  indicative  and  —  subjunctive  is 
especially  important. 

34.  In  the  verb  "to  be"  —  present  and  —  past  subjunctives  have 
different  forms. 

35.  —  life  in  Madras  iu  —  time  of  Clive  was  different  from  what  it 
is  now. 

36.  I  like  so  many  sports  that  it  is  hard  to  tell  which  I  like  —  best. 
I  like  swimming,  foot-ball,  and  riding  more  than  —  others,  but  I  do 
not  know  which  of  these  three  I  like  —  best. 


CHAPTER  III. 

OF    NOUNS 

How  to  Form  the  Possessive  Case.' — As  a  rule,  the  pos- 
sessive of  nouns  in  the  singular  number  is  formed  by  add- 
ing an  apostrophe  and  "  s "  ('s) :  as,  "  The  boy''s  coat." 
Often  the  pronunciation  of  the  added  "s"  makes  a  new 
syllable;  and  if  this  additional  syllable  makes  an  unpleas- 
ant sound,  the  possessive  is  indicated  by  the  apostrophe 
alone  ('):  as,  "For  goodness'  sake."  The  putting  in  or 
the  leaving  out  of  the  "s"  in  such  cases  is  chiefly  a  matter 
of  taste.  If  the  "s"  is  sounded,  it  is  always  written  ;  and 
M^henever  there  is  doubt,  it  is  well  to  follow  the  regular 
rule:  as, '' Horace's  odes,"  "Charleses  ball,"  '■'■Dickens's 
David  Copperfield." 

In  the  PLURAL  number,  when  the  nominative  plural  ends 
in  "  s,"  the  possessive  case  is  formed  by  adding  an  apos- 
trophe alone  ( ' ).  If  the  nominative  plural  does  not  end  in 
"  s,"  an  apostrophe  and  an  "  s  "  ('s)  are  both  added,  as  in 
the  singular:  as,  *' il/en's  and  hoys'  shoes." 

The  possessive  case  of  compound  nouns  and  expressions 

used  as  compound  nouns  is  formed  by  adding  the  proper 

sign  of  the  possessive  to  the  end  of  the  compound  :    as, 

"That  is  my  sister-in-law^ s  pony,"  "This  is  the  Prince  of 

Wales's  palace." 

EXERCISE  vn.2 

1.  Write  the  possessive  case,  singular  and  plural,  of:  Actor,  king, 
fahy,  calf,  chiki,  goose,  lady,  monkey,  mouse,  ox,  woman,  deer,  eagle, 
princess,  elephant,  man,  witness,  prince,  fox,  farmer,  countess,  mouth, 
hoi'se,  day,  year,  lioji,  wolf,  thir  f,  Englishman. 

'  "Foundations,"  pp.  41-43. 

^  To  THE  Teacher. — To  have  its  full  value  this  should  be  given  as  a  dic- 
tation exercise. 


OF   NOUNS  17 

2.  Write  the  possessive  case  of:  James,  Dickens,  his  sister  Mary, 
Miss  Austen,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  Frederick  tlie  Great,  Harper  and 
Brotliers,  father  -  in  -  law,  Cliarles,  Jones,  William  the  Conqueror, 
Henry  the  Eighth,  man-of-war,  Douglas,  Eggleston  and  Company,    j 

Use  and  Misuse  of  the  Possessive  Case.' — It  is  sometimes 
a  question  whether  to  use  the  possessive  form  or  the  pre])- 
osition  of.  "  As  a  general  rule,  the  possessive  case  should 
be  conlined  to  cases  of  })Ossession." '^ 

EXERCISE  VIII. 

Express  relation  between  tJie  words  in  the  folloioing  pairs  by  putting 
one  of  them  in  the  possessive  case  or  by  tising  the  preposition  "of," 
as  may  seem  best : — 

Charles  the  Second,  reign ;  witness,  testimony;  hors^,  hoof;  the 
President,  puhlic  reception ;  Partridge,  restaurant ;  aide  -  de  -  camp, 
horse;  General  Armistead,  death;  Henry  the  Eighth,  wives;  Napo- 
leon, Berlin  decree;  teacher,  advice;  eagle,  talons;  enemy,  repulse;^ 
book,  cover;  princess,  evening  gowns;  France,  army;  Napoleon,  de- 
feat; Napoleon,  camp -chest;  Major  Andre,  capture ;  Demosthenes, 
orations;  gunpowder, invention;  mountain, top;  summer, end;  Wash- 
ington, sword;  Franklin,  staff;  torrent,  force;  America,  metropolis; 
city,  streets;  strike,  beginning;  church,  spire;  we  (our,  us),  midst; 
year,  events;  Guiteau,  trial;  sea,  bottom;  Essex,  death;  Adams,  ad- 
ministration; six  months,^wages;  world,  government. 

EXERCISE  IX. 

Distinguish  between  the  following : — 

1.  The  President's  reception.     The  reception  of  the  President. 

2.  Mother's  love.     Love  of  mother. 

3.  A  sister's'  care.     Care  of  a  sister. 

^  4.  A  brother's  picture.     The  picture  of  a  brother.    ' 

5.  Clive's  reception  in  London.     The  reception  of  Clive  in  London. 

6.  Charles  and  Harry's  toys.     Charles's  and  Harry's  toys. 

7.  Let  me  tell  you  a  story  of  Doctor  Brown  (Brown's). 

•  "  Foundations,"  pp.  43-44. 

» Ibid.,  p.  44. 

^  Tlier«i  is,  properly,  no  "objective  possessive"  in  English  corresponding 
to  the  "  objective  genitive  "  in  other  languages.  It  seems  best  to  say  "  Tlie 
siege  of  Paris,"  rather  than  "Paris's  siege." 


18  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

EXERCISE  X. 

Correct  the  following,  giving  the  reason  for  each  correction: — 

1.  A  dog  and  a  cat's  head  are  differently  shaped. 

2.  Whose  Greek  grammar  do  you  prefer — Goodwin  or  Hadley? 

3.  It  is  neither  the  captain  nor  the  manager's  duty. 

4.  I  consulted  Webster,  Stormonth,  and  Worcester's  dictionary. 

5.  I  like  Hawthorne  better  than  Irving's  style. 

6.  John,  Henry,  and  William's  nose  resembled  one  another. 

7.  The  novel  is  one  of  Scolt. 

8.  I  have  no  time  to  listen  to  either  John  or  Joseph's  talk. 

Singular  and  Plural.' — In  modern  English  most  nouns 
form  the  plural  by  adding  "  s  "  to  the  singular.  The  fol- 
lowing variations  from  this  rule  are  important: — 

1.  When  the  added  sound  of  "s"  makes  an  additional  syllable, 
"es"  is  used:  as,  box,  boxes;  church,  churches. 

2.  Nouns  ending  in  "o."  If  the  final  "  o  "  is  preceded  by  a  vowel, 
the  plural  is  formed  regularly,  i.e.,  by  adding  "s":  as,  cameo,  cameos. 
If  the  final  "  o  "  is  preceded  by  a  consonant,  the  tendency  of  modern 
usage  is  to  form  the  plural  by  adding  "  es":  as,  hero,  heroes;  pota- 
to, potatoes.  The  following  common  words,  however,  seem  still  to 
form  the  plural  by  adding  "s"  alone: — 

canto  lasso  proviso  torso 

duodecimo  memento  quarto  tyro 

halo  octavo  solo 

junto  piano  stiletto 

3.  Nouns  ending  in  "y."  If  the  "y"  is  preceded  by  a  vowel,  the 
plural  is  regular:  as,  valley,  valleys. 

If  the  "y  "  is  preceded  by  a  consonant,  "y"is  changed  to  "i"  and 
"  es  "  is  added  to  form  the  plural:  as,  lady,  ladies;  city,  cities. 

4.  Proper  nouns  are  changed  as  little  as  possible  :  as,  Henry, 
Henrys;  Mary,  Marys;  Cicero,  Ciceros;  Nero,  Neros. 

5.  Most  compound  nouns  form  the  plural  by  adding  the  proper 
sign  of  the  plural  to  the  fundamental  part  of  the  word,  i.e.,  to  the 
part  which  is  described  by  the  rest  of  the  phrase :  as,  ox-cart,  ox- 
carts; court-martial,  courts-martial;  aide-de-camp,  aides-de-camp. 

Note  the  difference  between  the  plural  and  the  possessive  of  compound 
nouns, — forms  which  are  often  confounded.     See  page  16. 

'  "  Foundations,"  pp.  45-47. 


OF   NOUNS  19 

6.  Letters,  figures,  and  other  symbols  are  made  plural  by  adding 
an  apostrophe  and  "s"  ('s) :  as,  "There  are  more  e's  than  a's  in  this 
word";  "Dot  your  i's  and  cross  your  t's." 

7.  Some  nouns  have  two  plupals,  which  differ  in  meaning: — 

Singular.  Plural. 

brother  brothers  (by  birth),  brethren  (of  a  society). 

die  dies  (for  coining  or  stamping),  dice  (for  play). 

fish  fishes  (separate  fish),  fish  (collective). 

index  indexes  (in  books),  indices  (in  algebra). 

penny  pennies  (separate  coins),  pence  (sum  of  money). 

shot  shots  (discharges),  shot  (balls). 

staff  staves  (poles),  staffs  (bodies  of  assistants). 

EXERCISE  XL' 

Write  the  plural  of:  Lash,  cage,  race,  buffalo,  echo,  canto,  volcano, 
portfolio,  ally,  money,  solo,  memento,  mosquito,  bamboo,  ditch,  chim- 
ney, man,  Norman,''  Mussulman,  city,  negro,  baby,  calf,  man-of-war, 
attorney,  goose -quill,  canon,  quail,  mystery,  turkey,  wife,  body, 
snipe,  kniglit-errant,  donkey,  spoonful,  aide-de-camp,  Ottoman,  com- 
mander-in-chief, major-general,  pony,  reply,  talisman,  court-martial, 
father-in-law,  court-yard,  man-trap.  Brahman,  journey,  Henry,  step- 
son, deer,  mouthful,  Miss  Clark,*  Mr.  Jones,  Dr.  Brown,  Dutchman, 
German,  forget-me-not,  poet-laureate,  minister-plenipotentiary,  hero, 
fish,  trout,  Mary,  Geoige,  bill-of-fare. 

EXERCISE  XIL 

Distinguish  between : — 

1.  Two  dice  (dies)  were  found  in  the  prisoner's  pockets. 

2.  He  was  always  kind  to  his  brothers  (brethren). 

3.  How  many  shot  (shots)  did  you  count? 

4.  He  carried  two  pailfuls  (pails  full)  of  water  up  the  hill. 

5.  I  have  two  handfuls  (hands  full)  of  gold-dust. 

6.  He  gave  the  beggar  six  pennies  (pence). 

7.  There  are  serious  errors  in  the  indexes  (ind ices)  in  this  new  Algebra. 

8.  Ten  shot  (shots)  were  fired  from  the  gun  in  fifteen  minutes. 

1  To  THE  Teacher. — To  have  its  full  value  this  should  be  given  as  a  dic- 
tation exercise.  ^  Consult  a  dictionary  for  this  and  similar  nouns. 

'  Proper  names  preceded  by  a  tide  are  made  plural  by  changing  either 
the  name  or  the  title,  and  using  "  the  "  before  the  expression.  We  may 
say  "the  Miss  Smitlis  "  or  "the  Misses  Smith,"  "the  Doctors  Young"  or 
"the  Doctor  Youngs." 


20  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 

EXERCISE  XIII. 

Which  of  the  following  forms  should  be  used?  Consult  Hill's 
"  Foundations,"  pp.  JfS-47 : — 

1.  The  members  of  the  committee  were  greatly  alarmed  at  this 
(these)  news. 

2.  Tidings  was  (were)  brought  to  them  of  the  massacre  on  Snake 
River. 

3.  The  endowment  of  the  college  was  greatly  increased  by  this 
(these)  means. 

4.  The  widow's  means  was  (were)  at  first  large,  but  it  was  (they 
were)  soon  exhausted  by  the  prodigality  of  her  son. 

5.  The  assets  of  the  company  are  (is)  $167,000. 

6.  The  dregs  in  the  cup  was  (were)  found  to  be  very  bitter. 

7.  The  eaves  of  the  new  house  are  (is)  thirty-two  feet  above  the 
ground. 

8.  Athletics  are  (is)  run  into  the  ground  in  many  schools. 

9.  Politics  is  (are)  like  a  stone  tied  around  the  neck  of  literature. 

10.  The  nuptials  of  Gratiano  and  Nerissa  were  (was)  celebrated  at 
the  same  time  as  those  (that)  of  Bassanio  and  Portia. 

11.  Ethics  are  (is)  becoming  more  and  more  prominent  in  the  dis- 
cussions of  political  economists. 

12.  Have  you  seen  my  pincers  ?     I  have  mislaid  it  (them). 

13.  The  proceeds  was  (were)  given  to  the  hospital. 

14.  His  riches  took  to  themselves  (itself)  wings. 

15.  This  (these)  scissors  is  (are)  not  sharp. 

16.  Please  pour  this  (these)  suds  on  the  rose  plants  in  the  oval  flower- 
bed. 

17.  His  tactics  was  (were)  much  criticised  by  old  generals. 

18.  The  United  States  has  (have)  informed  Spain  that  it  (they)  will 
not  permit  Spanish  interference  in  the  affairs  of  Central  America. 

Nouns  of  Foreign  Origin.' — The  following  is  a  list  of 
nouns  of  foreign  origin  in  common  use  which  have  peculiar 
number  forms : — 

Singular.  Plural. 

alumnus  (masculine)  alumni 

alumna  (feminine)  alumnse 

analysis  analyses 

bacterium  bacteria 

>  "  Foundations,"  pp.  47-48. 


OF  NOUNS 


21 


Singular. 
beau 
cherub 
crisis 

curriculum 
datum 
genus  (meaning  "class") 

genius 

hypothesis 

oasis 

parenthesis 

phenomenon 

seraph 

stratum 

tableau 

thesis 


Plural. 

beaux 

cherubim  (or  cherubs; 

crises 

curricula 

data 

genera 

geniuses  (persons  of  great  ability) 

genii  (spirits) 

hypotheses 

oases 

parentheses 

phenomena 

seraphim  (or  seraphs) 

strata 

tableaux 

theses 


EXERCISE  XIV.' 

1.  Write  the  plural  of:  Alumna,  analysis,  beau,  cherub,  crisis,  cur- 
riculum, genus,  genius,  hypothesis,  nebula,  oasis,  parenthesis,  phe- 
nomenon, synopsis,  seraph,  stratum,  tableau. 

2.  Write  the  singular  of:  Alumni,  curricula,  data,  bacteria,  cheru- 
bim, oases,  phenomena,  seraphim,  strata,  theses. 

Gender. — Tlie  following  nouns  of  different  genders  are 
sometimes  confounded  or  othei'wise  misused  : — 


Masculine. 

Feminine. 

Masculine. 

Feminine. 

abbot 

abbess 

gander 

goose 

actor 

actress 

hero 

heroine 

bachelor 

spinster. 

maid 

lion 

lioness 

buck 

doe  (fallow  deer) 

marquis,  marquess 

marchioness 

bullock 

heifer 

monk 

nun 

czar 

czarina 

ram 

ewe 

drake 

duck 

stag,  hart 

hind  (red  deer) 

duke 

duchess 

sultan 

sultana 

earl 

countess 

tiger 

tigress 

Francis 

Frances 

wizard 

witch 

1  To  THE  Tkacher. — To  have  any  value  this  must  be  given  as  a  dictation 
exercise. 


22  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

EXERCISE  XV.i 

1.  Write  the  feminine  word  corresponding  to:  Abbot,  actor,  bachelor, 
buck,  bullock,  czar,  duke,  drake,  earl,  Francis,  hero,  lion,  marquis, 
monk,  ram,  stag,  sultan,  hart,  tiger. 

2.  Write  the  masculine  word  corresponding  to :  Spinster,  duck,  doe, 
Frances,  goose,  heifer,  ewe,  hind,  witch. 

EXERCISE   XVI. 

Correct  thefolloicing  sentences: — 

1.  The  marquess  was  the  executor  of  her  husband's  estate. 

2.  He  married  a  beautiful  actor. 

3.  The  tiger  broke  from  its  cage. 

4.  Tlie  duck  was  pluming  his  feathers  after  his  swim,  and  the 
goose  had  wandered  from  his  companions  across  the  meadows. 

5.  The  baby  girl  in  "The  Princess"  m&y  be  called  the  real  hero  of 
the  tale. 

Abbreviations. — For  the  following  exercise  consult  Hill's 
Foundations  of  Rhetoric,  pp.  49-50. 

EXERCISE  XVIL 

Which  of  these  words  are  in  good  use? — 

Pianist,  harpist,  poloist,  violinist,  phiz,  ad,  co-ed,  curios,  exam,  cab, 
chum,  gent,  hack,  gym,  pants,  mob,  phone,  proxy,  photo,  prelim,  van, 
prof,  varsity. 

Misused  Nouns.^ — Many  errors  in  English  consist  in  us- 
ing words  in  senses  which  are  not  authorized.  Sometimes 
the  use  of  a  word  in  a  wrong  sense  makes  the  speaker's 
meaning  obscure.  Sometimes  it  makes  him  seem  ridiculous, 
as  when  a  person  of  the  writer's  acquaintance  told  a  friend 
to  clean  an  oil-painting  by  washing  it  in  "  torpid  "  water. 

•  To  THE  Teacher. — This  should  be  used  as  a  dictation  exercise. 

*  To  THE  Teacher. — It  may  not  be  desirable  to  drill  pupils  on  all  the 
words  whose  meanings  are  discriminated  here  and  in  chapters  V.  and  VI. 
In  that  case  it  will  be  easy  to  select  for  study  those  words  which  the  pupils 
are  most  likely  to  misuse.  The  words  discriminated  in  this  book  are  for 
tlie  most  part  those  which  are  mentioned  in  the  "  Foundations  of  Rhetoric," 
and  they  have  been  arranged  in  the  same  order.  A  few  other  words  often 
misused  by  my  pupils  have  been  added. 


OF  NOUNS  23 

In  every  case  the  misuse  of  a  word  leaves  an  unpleasant 
impression  on  the  mind  of  a  cultivated  person,  and,  like  all 
bad  Engrlish,  should  be  avoided  as  we  avoid  bad  manners. 
In  the  following  definitions  and  exercises  a  few  nouns*  are 
selected  for  study.  The  distinctions  given  are  not  always 
observed  by  reputable  authors,  but  they  indicate  the  ten- 
dency of  the  best  modern  usage. 

I.    A   RESEMBLANCE    IN    SENSE    MISLEADS.' 

House,  home.— A  house  is  a  building.  Home  means  one's  habitual 
abode,  "  the  abiding  place  ot  the  affections."  It  may  or  may  not  be 
in  a  bouse,  and  it  may  include  the  surroundings  of  a  house. 

Person,  party.— A  person  is  an  individual ;  a  ^9«/%  is  a  company  of 
persons,  or,  in  legal  usage,  a  person  who  is  concerned  in  a  contention 
or  agreement. 

Series,  succession.— A  series  is  a  succession  of  similar  things  mutu- 
ally related  according  to  some  law.  Succession  is  properly  used  of 
several  things  following  one  after  the  other;  it  denotes  order  of  oc- 
currence only,  and  does  not  imply  any  connection. 

Statement,  assertion.— A  statement  is  a  formal  setting  forth  of  fact 
or  opinion ;  an  assertion  is  simply  an  affirmation  of  fact  or  opinion. 

Verdict,  testimony.— A  verdict  is  a  decision  made  by  a  number  of 
men  acting  as  a  single  body.  Testimony  is  an  expression  of  individ- 
ual knowledge  or  belief. 

The  whole,  all.— TV'e  wliole  is  properly  used  of  something  which  is 
considered  as  one  thing.  When  a  number  of  persons  or  things  are 
spoken  of,  the  proper  word  is  all. 

EXERCISE  XVIIL 

Tell  the  difference  in  meaning  between  the  following : — 

1.  Mr.  Roscoe  has  no  house  (home). 

2.  The  hotel  clerk  says  he  expects  three  more  parties  (persons)  on 
the  six  o'clock  train. 

3.  There  are  three  persons  (parties)  concerned  in  this  contract. 

4.  A  succession  (series)  of  delays. 

1  For  misused  verbs  and  adjectives  see  pages  92  and  119. 

2  "  Foundations,"  pp.  50-53. 


24  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

5.  Tliis  morning's  papers  publish  an  assertion  (a  statement)  by 
Mr.  Pullman,  which  throws  new  light  on  the  strike. 

EXERCISE  XIX. 

Insert  the  proper  icord  in  each  blank,  and  give  the  reason  foi'  your 

choice  : — 

House,  home. 

1.  Whenever  a  tramp  comes  to  our  — ,  the  dog  b  untied. 

2.  His  new  —  will  be  finished  in  November. 

3.  Mr.  S.  owns  a  beautiful  —  and  has  a  happy  — . 

4.  One  can  build  a  very  good  —  for  $6000. 

5.  — s  are  built  to  live  in,  not  to  look  on. 

Party,  person. 

6.  There  is  another  —  comiag  on  the  evening  train,  but  he  will 
leave  to-morrow 

7    A  cross-looking  —  alighted  from  the  stage-coach  and  entered 
the  inn. 

8.  The  cause  of  both  — s  shall  come  before  the  court. 

9.  Is  the  —  that  wants  a  carriage  at  dinner  or  in  his  room? 

10.  He  is  attached  to  the  king's  — . 

11.  Who  was  that  fat  old  —  who  kept  us  all  laughing? 

Series,  succession. 

12.  The  —  of  Presidents  is  a  long  one. 
13    This  stamp  belongs  to  the  —  of  1864. 

14.  A  —  of  calamitous  events  followed  this  mistake  in  policy. 

15.  A  —  of  accidents  prevented  the  sailing  of  the  yacht. 

Statement,  assertion. 

16.  The  last  —  of  the  bank  has  been  examined. 

17.  —  unsupported  by  fact  is  worthless. 

18.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  contained  a  clear  —  of  griev 
auces. 

19.  The  orator's  —  was  shown  to  be  false. 

Verdict,  testimony. 

20.  The  —  of  history  is  that  Christianity  has  improved  the  condi- 
tion of  women. 

21.  Let  us  await  the  —  of  the  public. 

22.  The  early  Christian  martyrs  sealed  their  —  with  their  blood. 

23.  The  —  of  those  who  saw  the  murder  was  contradictory. 


OF  NOUNS  25 

The  whole,  all. 

24.  —  (of)  the  dishes  came  tumbling  to  the  floor. 

25.  Tell  —  (the)  truth. 

26.  Then  you  and  I  and  —  of  us  fell  down. 

27.  Washington  was  respected  by  —  (the)  people. 

28.  We  sold  —  (of)  our  apples  at  sixty  cents  a  bushel. 

29.  He  has  already  packed  —  of  his  books. 

30.  —  (the)  adornments  took  an  appropriate  and  sylvan  character. 

31.  He  readily  confided  to  her  —  (the)  papers  concerning  the  in- 
trigue. 

32.  In  the  afternoon  —  of  thera  got  into  a  boat  and  rowed  across 
the  lake. 

II.    A    RESEMBLANCE    IN    SOUND    MISLEADS.' 

Acceptance,  a.eeev)ta.tion.— Acceptance  is  the  "  act  of  accepting  ";  also 
"favorable  reception":  as,  "The  acceptance  of  a  gift,"  "She  sang 
with  marked  acceptance."  Acceptation  now  means  "the  sense  in 
which  an  expression  is  generally  understood  or  accepted." 

Access,  accession.— J-Ccess  has  several  meanings  authorized  by  good 
use:  (1)  outburst;  (2)  admission;  (3)  way  of  entrance.  Accession 
means  (1)  the  coming  into  possession  of  a  right;  or  (2)  an  addition. 

Acts,  actions.— " -4c^s,  in  the  sense  of  '  things  done,'  is  preferable  to 
actions,  since  actions  also  means  '  processes  of  doing.'  ""^ 

Advance,  advancement.— J.fZm/(«3  is  used  in  speaking  of  something 
as  moving  forward  ;  advancement,  as  being  moved  forward. 

Allusion,  illusion,  delusion.— An  allusion  is  an  indirect  reference  to 
something  not  definitely  mentioned.  Roughly  speaking,  an  illusion 
is  an  error  of  vision;  delusion,  of  judgment.  "  In  literary  and  popu- 
lar use  an  illusion  is  an  unreal  appearance  presented  in  any  way  to 
the  bodily  or  the  mental  vision  ;  it  is  often  pleasing,  harmless,  or 
even  useful.  ...  A  delusion  is  a  mental  error  or  deception,  and  may 
have  regard  to  things  actually  existing,  as  well  as  to  illusions.  De- 
lusions are  ordinarily  repulsive  and  discreditable,  and  may  even  be 
mischievous."^ 

Avocation,  vocaXion.— "  Vocation  means  '  calling '  or  '  profession ' ; 
avocation,  '  something  aside  from  one's  regular  calling,  a  by-work.' "  * 

'  "Foundations,"  pp.  53-56. 

'  A.  S.  Hill ;  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  18. 

'  The  Century  Dictionary. 

*  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  39. 


20  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Completion,  completeness.— Completion  is  "the  act  of  complet- 
ing''; completeness  is  "  tlie  state  of  being  complete." 

Observation,  o\isevva.nee.— Observation  contains  the  idea  of  "  looking 
at ";  observance,  of  "  keeping,"  "celebrating."  •'  We  speak  of  the  ob- 
servation  of  a  fact,  of  a  star ;  of  the  observance  of  a  festival,  of  a  lule."  ' 

Proposal,  proposition.— "A  jjroposal  is  something  proposed  to  be 
done,  which  may  be  accepted  or  rejected.  A  proposition  is  some- 
thing proposed  for  discussion,  with  a  view  to  determining  the  truth 
or  wisdom  of  it." - 

Relationship,  relation. —lielationship  properly  means  "the  state  of 
being  related  by  kindred  or  alliance":  as,  "A  relationship  existed 
between  the  two  families."  Relation  is  a  word  of  much  broader 
meaning.    It  does  not  necessarily  imply  kinship. 

Solicitude,  sol\eita.t\on.—8oUcitude  is  "anxiety";  solicitation  is  "the 
act  of  soliciting  or  earnestly  asking." 

Stimulation,  stimulus,  st\m\xlz.nt.— Stimulation  is  "the  act  of  stimu- 
lating or  inciting  to  action";  stimulus,  originally  "a  goad,"  now  de- 
notes that  which  stimulates,  the  means  by  which  one  is  incited  to 
action;  stirnulant  has  a  medical  sense,  being  used  of  that  which 
stimulates  the  body  or  any  of  its  organs.  We  speak  of  ambition  as 
a  stimulus,  of  alcohol  as  a  stimulant. 

EXERCISE  XX. 

Tell  the  difference  in  meaning  between — 

1.  The  acceptance  (acceptation)  of  this  word  is  doubtful. 

2.  The  acts  (actions)  of  Napoleon  were  carefully  observed. 

3.  The  colonel's  advance  (advancement)  was  not  long  delayed. 

4.  Literature  has  been  Dr.  Holmes's  avocation  (vocation). 

5.  The  list  of  African  dialects  is  approaching  completeness  (com- 
pletion). 

6.  The  completion  (completeness)  of  this  new  dictionary  of  the 
Latin  language  will  make  scholars  glad. 

7.  The  professor  advised  me,  when  I  went  to  Rome,  to  be  espe- 
cially careful  in  my  observation  (observance)  of  the  religious  cere- 
monies of  Passion  Week. 

8.  This  proposal  (proposition)  made  both  Republican  and  Demo- 
cratic senators  indignant. 

'  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  39. 
-  The  Century  Dictionary. 


OF   NOUNS  27 

9.  His  mother's  solicitude  (solicitation)  induced  Washington  when 
lie  was  a  boy  to  give  up  his  intention  of  going  to  sea. 
10.  Shall  1  give  your  son  a  stimulus  (stimulant)? 

EXERCISE   XXI. 

Insert  the  proper  word  in  each  blank,  a,nd  give  the  reason  for  your 

choice : — 

Acceptance,  acceptation. 

1.  The  word  "  livery"  is  used  in  its  original  — . 

2.  This  is  a  true  saying  and  worthy  of  — . 

3.  The  —  of  a  trust  brings  grave  responsibility. 

4.  He  sent  to  the  President  a  formal  —  of  the  position. 

5.  The  assertion  finds  —  in  every  rank  of  society. 

6.  In  its  common  —  "philosophy"  signifies  "the  search  after 
wisdom." 

7.  The  probability  of  this  theory  justifies  its  full  — . 

Access,  accession. 

8.  We  are  denied  —  to  the  king. 

9.  An  —  of  fever  occurred  at  nightfall. 

10.  The  emperor  at  his  —  takes  an  oath  to  maintain  the  constitu- 
tion. 

11.  —  to  the  outer  court  was  through  a  massive  door. 

12.  The  only  —  which  the  Roman  Empire  received  was  the  prov- 
ince of  Britain. 

13.  A  sudden  —  of  violent,  burning  fever  had  laid  Peter's  mother- 
in-law  prostrate. 

14.  Victoria  married  after  her  —  to  the  throne. 

15.  This  allusion  led  to  a  fresh  —  of  feeling. 

Act,  action. 

16.  I  cannot  do  so  cruel  uu  — . 

17.  Another  mode  of  —  was  proposed  by  Henry  Clay. 

18.  The  fifth  book  of  the  New  Testament  records  the  — s  of  the 
Apostles. 

19.  To  attempt  resistance  would  be  the  —  of  a  madman. 

30.  The  monkey  imitates  the  — s  of  its  master. 

Advance,  advancement. 

31.  The  —  of  the  expedition  was  impeded  by  bad  roads. 
23.  —  in  the  army  is  slow. 


28  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

23.  The  Don  and  his  companions,  in  their  eager  — ,  had  got  en- 
tangled in  deep  glens. 

24.  My  old  position  offered  no  hope  of  — . 

25.  His  hopes  of  —  in  England  failing,  Swift  returned  to  Ireland. 

Allusion,  illusion,  delusion. 

26.  There  were  two  — s  in  his  sermon  to  the  riots. 

27.  The  cleverest,  acutest  men  are  often  under  an  (a)  —  about 
women. 

28.  Longfellow's  "Footsteps  of  Angels"  contains  — s  to  the  death 
of  his  wife. 

29.  Our  judgment  of  people  is  liable  to  be  warped  by  — s  of  the 
imagination. 

30.  Those  other  words  of  —  and.  folly,  Liberty  first  and  Union 

afterward. 

Avocation,  vocation. 

31.  Surgeons  in  the  army  are  allowed  by  the  enemy  to  pursue  their 

—  unmolested. 

32.  The  young  lawyer,  surrounded  by  his  law-books,  took  up  his 

—  with  enthusiasm. 

33.  Let  your  base-ball  be  a  pastime,  not  a  trade ;  let  it  be  your  — , 
not  your  — . 

34.  Heaven  is  a  pious  man's  — ,  and  therefore  he  counts  earthly 
employments  — s. 

35.  It  seems  that  after  his  return,  his  disciples  left  him  and  re- 
turned to  their  ordinary  — s. 

Completion,  completeness. 

36.  The  —  of  the  railroad  was  celebrated  by  a  general  illumina- 
tion in  the  village. 

37.  The  comfort  of  passengers  is  secured  by  the  —  of  the  equip- 
ment of  the  steamers  of  this  line. 

38.  We  hope  for  the  —  of  our  new  building  by  September, 

39.  We  were  surprised  at  the  —  of  the  collection  of  minerals. 

Observation,  observance. 

40.  The  —  of  a  few  simple  rules  of  health  would  have  prolonged 
his  life. 

41.  The  North  American  Indian  has  great  powers  of  — . 

42.  He  insisted  on  the  prompt  —  of  the  regulations. 

43.  The  Pharisees  were  strict  in  their  —  of  religious  festivals. 

44.  He  is  arranging  for  a  careful  —  of  the  eclipse. 


OF  NOUNS  29 

Proposal,  proposition. 

45.  I  submit  two  — s  for  consideration  by  the  assembly. 

46.  The  —  that  each  of  us  relinquish  something  was  accepted. 

47.  Sealed  — s  for  building  the  cottage  were  handed  in  by  three 
contractors. 

48.  He  made  a  —  of  marriage  to  her. 

49.  I  dissent  from  that  — . 

50.  A  nation  dedicated  to  the  —  that  all  men  are  created  equai. 

Solicitude,  solicitation. 

51.  He  made  frequent  —  for  money  and  clothes. 

52.  My  mother  watched  over  my  infancy  with  tender  — . 

53.  Coriolanus  yielded  at  the  —  of  his  mother. 

Stimulus,  stimulant,  stimulation. 

54.  He  worked  hard  under  the  —  of  a  desire  to  get  rich. 

55.  The  providential  —  of  conscience  is  always  present. 

56.  The  doctor  came  and  administered  a  gentle  —  to  the  patient. 

III.    ADDITIONAL    NOUNS    SOMETIMES   !MISUSED,i 

Ability,  capacity.— J.&^7^Y^/  is  the  power  of  doing  ;  capacity,  the  pow- 
er of  containing,  of  understanding,  of  acquiring. 

Adherence,  2iA\iQS\on.— Adherence  is  used  of  moral  relations,  adhe- 
sion, of  physical  connection.  We  speak  of  the  adhesion  of  glue  to 
wood,  of  a  man's  adherence  to  the  principles  of  his  party. 

Amount,  quantity,  nvimh^v.— Amount  means  "sum  total,"  and  is 
used  of  numbers  or  quantities;  quantity  is  used  of  things  which  are 
measured  ;  number,  of  things  which  are  counted. 

Argument,  plea.— "Pfea  (in  the  legal  sense)  is  properly  used  of  the 
pleadings  or  the  arraignment  before  a  trial,  not  of  the  argument  at 
a  trial.  A  plea  is  always  addressed  to  the  court ;  an  argument  may 
be  addressed  either  to  the  court  or  to  the  jury.  A  similar  remark 
applies  to  the  verbs  2:>lead  and  argue."  "^ 

Balance,  rest,  vem^mAQV.— Balance,  meaning  "the  difference  be- 
tween two  sides  of  an  account,"  is  a  commercial  term,  and  cannot 
properly  be  used  for  rest  or  remainder.     Rest  is  used  of  persons  or 

I  "Foundations,"  p.  56.  If  it  seem  undesirable  to  drill  pupils  on  all 
the  words  which  are  here  discriminatea,  the  teacher  may  select  those  words 
whicli  they  are  most  likely  to  misuse.     See  note  2,  p.  22. 

'  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  40. 


30  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

things,  and  of  large  as  well  as  of  small  parts.     Remainder  is  used 
only  of  things,  and  denotes  a  comparatively  small  part. 

Centre,  middle.— The  centre  is  a  point,  or  a  definite  place ;  the  middle 
is  a  line,  or  a  space,  and  is  less  definite  than  centre. 

Character,  reputation.— CA«rac^e/'  is  what  a  man  is;  reputation  is 
thf  prevailing  opinion  of  his  character. 

Complement,  compliment.  — A  complement  is  a  "full  quantity  or 
mimber"  or  "that  which  is  needed  to  complete";  a  cmnpliment  is 
"an  expression  of  praise." 

Conscience,  eonscXousness.—  Conscience  is  that  within  us  which  dis- 
tinguishes right  from  wrong.  Conscioustuss  is  the  state  of  being 
aware  of  one's  existence,  thoughts,  and  surroundings. 

Council,  eounsel.—A  council  is  "  a  body  of  persons  convened  for 
consultation."  Counsel  denotes  "advice,"  or  " a  person,  as  a  lawyer, 
engaged  to  give  advice." 

Custom,  haXiit— Custom  denotes  the  frequent  repetition  of  the  same 
act,  and  may  be  used  of  a  number  of  persons  taken  together.  Habit 
is  the  effect  of  custom  in  a  person.  Custom  is  voluntary;  habit  is 
involuntary,  often  uncontrollable,  sometimes  unconscious. 

D&ce^Vion,  d.eee\t.~- Deception  is  "the  act  of  deceiving";  d£ceit  is 
" deceitfulness,"  a  trait  of  character;  or  a  "  trick,"  an  "artifice." 

Egoists,  egoism,  egotism.—"  The  disciples  of  Descartes  were  egoists, 
the  ego  being  the  basis  of  their  philosophy."  Egoism  is  the  name  of 
their  system.  Egoism  is  sometimes  used  also  in  the  sense  of  undue 
admiration  of  self,  the  outward  expression  of  which  is  egotism.  But 
"egotism,  in  the  sense  of  'self -worship,'  is  preferable  to  egoism,  since 
egoism  also  designates  a  system  of  philosophy."  ' 

Emigration,  imm\sTPa.X\on.— Emigration  is  the  moving  out  from  a 
country  ;  immigration,  the  moving  into  it.  Foreigners  who  come  to 
live  in  America  are  emigrants  from  their  fatherland,  immigrants  to 
America. 

Enormity,  enormousness.—''  Enormity  is  used  of  deeds  of  unusual 
horror ;  enormousness,  of  things  of  unusual  size.  We  speak  of  the 
enormity  of  Caesar  Borgia's  crimes,  of  the  enormousness  of  the  Roth- 
schilds' wealth.'"' 

Esteem,  estimate,  estimation.— ^s^gem  as  a  noun  seems  to  be  going 
out  of  use ;  the  word  now  commonly  used  in  the  sense  of  ' '  opinion  " 

'  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  19. 
'  Ibid.,  p.  38. 


OF   NOUNS  31 

or  "regard"  is  estimation.  An  estimate  is  "an  approximate  judg- 
ment, based  on  considerations  of  probability,  of  the  number,  amount, 
magnitude,  or  position  of  anything." 

Falsity,  falseness.  — "  Fafo'%,  in  the  sense  of  '  non  -  conformity  to 
trutli,'  without  any  suggestion  of  blame,  is  preferable  to  falseness, 
since  falsriu'ss  usually  implies  blame."  ' 

Identity,  identification. -M'//i%  is  "the  state  of  being  the  same." 
Identificatioit,  denotes  "the  act  of  determining  what  a  given  thing, 
or  who  a  given  person,  is." 

Import,  importance.— /mpo?'i!,  in  the  sense  of  "meaning,"  must  be 
distinguished  from  iiuportance,  "the  quality  of  being  important." 

Invention,  diseovepy.— We  invent  soqiething  new,  contrived  or  pro 
duced  for  the  first  time.     We  discover  what  existed  before,  but  re- 
mained unknown. 

Limit,  limitation.- Z/emj^,  in  the  sense  of  "bound,"  is  preferable  to 
limitatiou,  since  limitation  also  means  "  the  act  of  limiting,"  or  a 
"  restriction." 

Lot,  number.— iyO«  denotes  "a  distinct  part  or  parcel":  as,  "The 
auctioneer  sold  the  goods  in  ten  lots."  The  word  does  not  mean  "a 
great  number";  therefore  it-  is  improperly  used  in  the  sentences:  "He 
has  lots  of  money,"  and  "  I  know  a  lot  of  people  in  New  York." 

Majority,  plurality.— A  majority  is  more  than  half  the  whole  num- 
ber ;  a  plurality  is  the  excess  of  votes  given  for  one;  candidate  over 
those  given  for  another,  and  is  not  necessarily  a  majoi'ity  when  there 
are  more  than  two  candidates. 

Negligence,  nesleet.—  ''  Negligence  is  used  of  a  habit  or  trait;  neglect. 
of  an  act  or  succession  of  acts."  "^ 

Novice,  noviXAaXe.— Novice  properly  means  one  who  is  new  in  any 
business  or  calling :  novitiate,  the  state  or  time  of  being  a  novice. 

Organism,  organization.— An  organism  is  a  "  living  body  composed 
of  a  number  of  essential  parts."  Organization  denotes  "the  act  of 
organizing,"  or  "an  organized  body  of  persons,"  as  a  literary  so- 
ciety. 

Part,  portion.- "  Pr/r^  is  the  general  word  for  that  which  is  less 
than  the  whole :  as,  the  whole  is  equal  to  the  sum  of  all  its  parts.  .  .  . 
Portion  is  often  used  in  a  stilted  way  where  part  would  be  simpler 
and  better ;  portion  has  always  some  suggestion  of  allotment  or  as- 

'  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  19. 
2  Ibid.,  p.  39. 


32  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

signment:  as,  this  is  mj  portion;  a  portion  of  Scripture.  'Father, 
give  me  the  portion  of  goods  that  falleth  to  me.'  "  ' 

Plenty,  abundance.— Pfcn^jr  is  enough ;  abundance,  more  than  enough. 

Produce,  product,  production.— PrwZiice  is  always  collective,  and  is 
ased  only  of  raw  products  :  as,  the  produce  of  the  soil,  of  the  flock. 
Product  denotes  the  result  of  some  operation,  usually  physical  labor. 
Production,  meaning  "the  act  of  producing,"  is  also  applied  to  a 
work  of  literature  or  art,  as  a  book,  a  statue,  or  a  painting.  "Prod- 
uct, in  the  sense  of  '  thing  produced,'  is  preferable  to  production,  since 
production  is  also  used  in  an  abstract  sense."* 

Prominence,  predominance.— P?'omi%ence  means  "a  standing  out 
from  something,  so  as  to  be  conspicuous."  Pi'edominance  denotes 
"ascendency,"  "a  superiority  in  strength  or  influence,"  "an  over- 
ruling." There  may  be  many  prominent  traits  in  a  person's  char- 
acter ;  there  can  be  only  one  predominant  trait. 

Receipt,  recipe.—"  Receipt,  in  the  sense  of  '  formula  for  a  pudding, 
etc.,'  is  preferable  to  recipe,  since  recipe  is  commonly  restricted  to 
medical  prescriptions.'"'' 

Relative,  relation.—'  'Relative,  in  the  sense  of  '  member  of  a  family,'  is 
preferable  to  relation,  since  relation  is  also  used  in  an  abstract  sense. "  ^ 

Requirement,  requisite,  requisition.  — A  requirement  is  something 
required  by  a  person  or  persons.  A  requisite  is  something  required 
by  the  nature  of  the  case.  A  requisition  is  an  authoritative  demand 
or  ofiicial  request  for  a  supply  of  something. 

Resort,  recourse,  vesowree.  —  Resort  denotes  "the  act  of  going  to 
some  person  or  thing";  or  "that  which  is  resorted  to  or  habitually 
visited."  Recourse  means  "resort  for  help  or  protection."  Resource 
denotes  "something  which  is  a  source  of  help  or  support." 

Secreting,  seGveWon.  — Secreting  is  the  act  of  hiding;  secretion,  a 
physiological  process  or  fluid. 

Sewage,  sewerage.— ^Sswa^'e  means  the  contents,  sewerage,  the  sys- 
tem, of  sewers. 

Situation,  site.—"  Situation  embraces  all  the  local  aspects  and  rela- 
tionships ^  in  which  a  thing  is  placed.  The  site  is  confined  to  the 
ground  on  which  it  is  erected  or  reposes."'' 

'  The  Century  Dictionary. 

"^  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  19. 

'  Is  "relationships"  the  proper  word  here? 

*  Smith's  Synonyms  Discriminated. 


OF   NOUNS  33 

Speciality,  specialty.—"  Speciality,  in  the  sense  of  '  distinctive  qual- 
ity,' is  preferable  to  specialty,  since  specialty  is  also  used  in  the  sense 
of  '  distinctive  thing.'  "  ' 

Union,  \xx\\ty.— Union  is  "the  joining  of  two  or  more  things  into 
one."     Unity  means  "oneness,"  "harmony." 

Visitant,  visitop.— Fmtoft^  was  formerly  used  to  denote  a  supernat- 
ural being;  visitor,  a  human  one.  Visitant  seems  now  to  be  going 
out  of  use,  visitor  being  used  in  both  senses. 

EXERCISE  XXII. 

Tell  the  difference  in  meaning  between — 

1.  He  is  a  person  of  great  ability  (capacity). 

2.  A  good  character  (reputation)  is  a  precious  possession. 

3.  The  man  seemed  to  be  without  conscience  (consciousness). 

4.  The  counsel  (council)  was  not  wise. 

5.  It  is  John's  custom  (habit)  to  speak  slowly. 

6.  Her  deceit  (deception)  amazed  me. 

7.  This  man  is  an  egoist  (egotist). 

8.  The  government  does  not  encourage  immigration  (emigration). 

9.  In  Mr.  E.'s.  estimate  (estimation)  the  cost  of  lumber  and  paint 
is  low. 

10.  It  was  only  yesterday  that  I  heard  of  the  identification  (iden- 
tity) of  the  men  who  robbed  Mr.  Jones  and  Mr.  Smith. 

11.  Mr.  Gladstone's  remark  at  the  banquet  was  an  utterance  of 
great  import  (importance). 

13.  This  is  a  remarkable  discovery  (invention). 

13.  Calhoun  was  nominated  by  a  majority  (plurality). 

14.  His  death  was  caused  by  his  own  neglect  (negligence). 

15.  The  privileges  of  a  novice  (novitiate)  are  not  many. 

16.  What  a  queer  organism  (organization) ! 

17.  The  expedition  has  plenty  (an  abundance)  of  provisions. 

18.  He  proposes  to  lay  a  tax  on  all  English  produce  (products, 
productions). 

19.  He  quickly  attained  prominence  (predominance)  in  the  com- 
mittee. 

20.  Please  copy  this  receipt  (recipe). 

21.  My  relatives  (relations)  here  are  charming. 

'  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  19. 
2* 


34  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

22.  Wanted,  a  boy  to  do  light  work  in  a  first-class  store.     Ability 
to  read  and  write  is  a  requirement  (requisite). 

23.  The  sewage  (sewerage)  of  inland  cities  presents  problems  of 
great  difficulty. 

24.  The  site  (situation)  of  the  temple  is  not  known. 

25.  Unity  (union)  of  religious  denominations  is  hoped  for  by  many, 

EXERCISE  XXIII. 

Insert  the  proper  word  in  each  blank,  and  give  the  reason  for  your 
choice :—  Ability,  capacity. 

1.  The  —  of  the  room  is  not  great. 

2.  They  gave,  each  according  to  his  — . 

B.  What  is  —  but  the  power  of  doing  a  thing  ? 

4.  Let  me  drink  of  Thee  according  to  my  — .     (From  a  prayer.) 

5.  Some  students  do  not  have  —  to  master  Greek  ;  but  what  most 
need  is  —  to  work  persistently. 

6.  My  father  does  not  think  Judge  X.  has  much  —  as  a  lawyer. 

Adherence,  adhe&Ion. 

7.  The  —  of  the  parts  which  were  cemented  together  is  still  perfect. 

8.  He  showed  an  obstinate  —  to  false  rules  of  conduct. 

9.  Marks  on  the  blackboard  depend  on  the  — ■  of  clialk  to  the  slate. 

10.  Professor  A.'s  —  to  the  doctrines  of  Adam  Smith  is  seen  in  his 
last  book  Amount,  number,  quantity. 

11.  Our  monthly  expenditures  vary  in  — . 

12.  You  could  see  any  —  of  cabs  standing  in  front  of  the  theatre. 

13.  A  great  —  of  books  and  papers  covered  the  table. 

14.  Gulliver  asked  the  king  of  Lilliputfor  a  large  —  of  iron  bars 
and  a  considerable  —  of  rope. 

15.  What  —  of  paper  is  needed  for  one  issue  of  Harper's  Weekly? 

16.  Such  a  (an)  —  of  sheep  as  we  saw  to-day ! 

17.  There  is  a  large  —  of  silver  bullion  in  the  Treasury  waiting  to 
be  coined.  Argument,  plea. 

18.  Every  whisper  in  the  court-room  was  hushed  as  Mr.  N.  rose 
before  the  jury  and  began  his  —  in  behalf  of  the  prisoner. 

19.  The  —  of  Smith,  when  arraigned  before  the  court,  was  that  he 
had  acted  in  self-defence. 

20.  The  only  —  available  with  an  east  wind  is  to  put  on  your  over- 
coat. 


OF  NOUNS  35 

Balance,  remaindep,  rest. 

21.  The  —  of  the  hour  is  spent  in  the  study  of  some  poem. 

22.  I  have  a  —  at  my  banker's. 

23.  The  —  of  the  boys  went  home. 

24.  For  the  —  of  the  week  we  stayed  at  home. 

25.  The  account  shows  a  —  of  $12.46. 

26.  Give  John  and  Horace  four  of  the  six  apples ;  you  may  have 
he  — . 

27.  Give  the  —  of  our  dinner  to  Tommy,  our  cat. 

Centre,  middle. 
38.  There  is  a  crack  running  down  ilie  —  of  the  wail. 

29.  A  table  stood  in  the  —  of  the  room. 

30.  A  path  runs  through  the  —  of  the  park. 

31.  In  the  —  of  the  garden  was  a  fountain. 

32.  He  parts  his  hair  in  the  — . 

38.  The  arrow  struck  the  —  of  the  target. 
Charaetep,  reputation. 

34.  This  man  has  an  excellent  —  for  lionesty. 

35.  Every  one  admires  the  —  of  Washington. 

36.  Mr.  Arnold  won  great  —  as  a  critic. 
37. .  Oh,  I  have  lost  my  — . 

38.  The  outlaws  of  Yorkshire  were  men  of  loose  — . 

39.  A  distinguished  general  may  lose  his  —  through  a  single  blunder. 

40.  —  is  an  idle  and  most  false  imposition  ;  oft  got  without  merit, 
and  lost  without  deserving. 

Complement,  compliment. 

41.  Present  my  — s  to  your  father. 

42.  The  ship  has  its  —  of  stores. 

43.  The  —  of  an  angle  is  the  difference  between  the  angle  and  a 
right  angle. 

44.  "True  friendship  loathes  such  oily  — ." 

45.  In  the  sentence,  "He  is  ill,"  "ill"  is  the  —  of  the  verb  "is." 

46.  "This  barren  verbiage,  current  among  men, 

Light  coin,  the  tinsel  clink  of  — ." 

Conscience,  consciousness. 

47.  The  —  of  the  purity  of  his  motives  consoled  him  for  his  un- 
popularity. 

48.  My  —  hath  a  thousand  several  tongues. 

49.  I  felt  a  shock,  I  saw  the  car  topple  over,  and  then  I  lost  — . 


36  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Council,  counsel. 

50.  "No  man  will  take  — ,  but  every  man  will  take  money;  there- 
fore money  is  better  than  — ." — Swift. 

51.  The  members  of  the  cabinet  form  a  sort  of  secret  —  of  the 
President. 

52.  Webster  was  one  of  the  —  in  the  trial  of  the  Knapps  for  the 
murder  of  Captain  White. 

Custom,  habit. 

53.  De  Quincey  acquired  the  —  of  using  opium  from  first  using  it 
to  relieve  neuralgic  pains. 

54.  Dancing  round  a  May-pole  is  a  —  many  hundreds  of  years  old. 

55.  As  his  —  was,  he  went  to  the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath. 

56.  Man  is  a  bundle  of  — s. 

57.  Those  national  — s  are  best  which  lead  to  good  — s  among  the 
people. 

58.  A  loose  life  brings  a  man  into  — s  of  dissipation. 

59.  It  was  the  —  of  Scotch  Highlanders  to  go  bareheaded. 

60.  It  is  a  good  —  to  rise  early,  because  this  will  soon  become  a  — . 

Deception,  deceit. 

61.  He  was  guilty  of  a  long  course  of  — . 

63.  Her  character  would  be  charming  if  it  were  not  for  her  — . 

63.  He  won  my  confidence  by  base  — . 

64.  Deceivers  seldom  profit  by  their  — . 

65.  —  is  of  the  very  nature  and  essence  of  sin. 

Egotist,  egoist. 

66.  He  is  an  — ,  for  he  is  always  talking  about  himself. 

67.  — s  are  the  pest  of  society;  they  are  always  obtruding  their 

ailments  on  others. 

Emigration,  immigration. 

68.  The  increase  in  Chinese  —  is  a  matter  for  serious  consideration 
by  the  United  States  Senate. 

69.  The  Chinese  government  encourages  —  to  America. 

70.  —  is  one  cause  of  the  rapid  growth  of  our  population. 

71.  The  —  of  the  French  nobility  at  the  time  of  the  French  Rev- 
olution was  a  political  blunder. 

Enormity,  enormousness. 

72.  The  —  of  the  cost  of  the  civil  war  startles  the  student  of  his- 
tory. 


OF  NOUNS  37 

73.  Burke  drew  such  a  vivid  picture  of  the  —  of  the  Nabob  of  Aj- 
Cot's  crimes  that  ladies  in  the  audience  fainted. 

74.  Visitors  do  not  at  first  realize  the  —  of  St.  Peter's,  at  Rome. 

Esteem,  estimate,  estimation. 

75.  In  what  —  is  he  held  by  his  townsmen  V 

76.  In  my  —  she  is  the  best  of  women. 

77.  We  can  form  an  —  of  the  amount  of  water  in  the  air. 

Falseness,  falsity. 

78.  We  have  already  seen  the  —  of  that  hypothesis.  ^ 

79.  Arnold  was  despised  for  his  — . 

80.  Piety  is  opposed  to  hypocrisy  and  — . 

81.  The  prince  is  in  danger  of  betrayal  through  the  —  of  his  servant. 

82.  The  —  of  this  reasoning  is  evident. 

Identity,  identification. 

83.  The  bodies  were  so  disfigured  that  their  —  was  difficult. 

84.  In  no  form  of  government  is  there  absolute  —  of  interest  be. 
tween  tlie  people  and  their  rulers. 

Import,  importance. 

85.  He  heard  the  tolling  of  the  bell  and  trembled  at  its  — . 

86.  The  oath  of  the  President  contains  three  words,  all  of  equal  —  ,■ 
namely,  that  he  will  "preserve,  protect,  and  defend  "  the  Constitution. 

87.  He  was  engaged  in  business  of  the  highest  — . 

88.  You  misunderstood  the  —  of  my  remarks. 

Invention,  discovery. 

89.  Newton's  —  of  the  law  of  gravitation. 

90.  The  —  of  the  telescope  was  made  by  Galileo. 

91.  The  —  of  the  properties  of  the  magnetic  needle  is  said  to 
have  been  made  by  the  Chinese  ;  also,  the  —  of  gunpowder. 

92.  The  —  of  the  circulation  of  blood  was  made  by  Harvey. 

93.  The  steam-engine  is  one  of  the  greatest  — s  of  this  age. 

94.  The  —  of  the  telephone  is  claimed  Ijy  several  persons. 

Limit,  limitation. 

95.  All  kinds  of  knowledge  have  their  — s. 

96.  Titus  Quintius  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  army 
without  any  — s. 

97.  Athens  insisted  upon  —  of  the  right  to  vote. 

98.  The  prisoners  were  free  to  roam  within  certain  — s,  but  their 
employments  were  subject  to  — . 

\  o  o  ^,5" 


38  PRACTICAL    EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Majopity,  plurality. 
99.  If  A  has  21  votes,  B  18,  and  C  10,  A  is  elected  by  a  — ,  not  a  — . 

100.  Smith  had  37  of  the  52  votes,  a  good  — . 

101.  Jones  had  20  votes,  Smith  14,  and  Brown  11;  Jones  therefore 
was  elected  by  a  safe  — . 

Negligence,  neglect. 

102.  "Without  blame 

Or  our  —  we  lost  her  as  we  came." — Gonitis. 

103.  Through  —  to  do  what  ought  to  be  done  we  soon  acquire 
habits  of  — . 

104.  Rescue  my  poor  remains  from  vile  — . 

105.  The  gate  has  fallen  from  its  hinges,  the  wooden  steps  are 
rotted,  and  the  house  shows  similar  signs  of  — . 

106.  —  is  a  grave  fault. 

Novice,  novitiate. 

107.  For  most  men  a  —  of  silence  is  profitable  before  they  enter  on 
the  business  of  life. 

108.  I  am  young,  a  —  in  the  trade. 

109.  It  was  in  this  abbey  that  I  served  my  — . 

110.  When  I  was  a  ^  in  this  place,  there  was  here  a  pious  monk. 

Organism,  organization. 

111.  Germs  of  microscopic  — s  exist  abundant!}^  on  the  surface  of 
all  fruits. 

112.  Lieutenant  Peary  has  completed  the —  of  his  arctic  expedi- 
tion. 

113.  The  Jacobin  club  was  a  political  — . 

114.  What  a^complex  —  the  human  body  is  ! 

Part,  portion. 

115.  A  —  of  my  work  is  done. 

116.  The  younger  —  of  the  community. 

117.  The  priests  had  a  —  of  land  assigned  them  by  Pharaoh. 

118.  The  whole  is  equal  to  the  sum  of  all  its  — s. 

119.  Each  received  his  —  of  the  estate. 

120.  The  lower  — s  of  his  body  were  cold. 

131.   "This,"  said  he,  "  is  a  —  of  the  true  cross." 

Plenty,  abundance. 
122.  Lf  you  do  not  waste  your  money,  you  will  have  —  for  your 
expenses. 


OF   NOUNS  39 

123.  They  did  cast  in  of  their  —  ;  but  slic  of  her  want. 

124.  The  expeditiou  has  —  of  provisions,  but  none  to  spare. 

125.  Last  year  there  was  —  of  corn  ;  it  was  estimated  that  we  had 
enough  to  feed  the  whole  nation  for  two  years. 

Produce,  product,  production. 

126.  The  maniifMCturers  brought  their  — s  to  market. 

127.  The  farmeis  bring  their  —  to  town  or  haul  it  to  the  nearest 
railway  station. 

128.  The  apple  is  especially  an  American  — . 

129.  Lowell's  "  Commemoration  Ode  "  is  a  noble  — . 

130.  Great  Britain  exports  chiefly  manufactured  — . 

131.  The  component  elements  of  —  are  labor  and  capital. 

Prominence,  predominance. 

132.  The  Indian  race  is  marked  by  a  —  of  the  cheek-bones. 

133.  The  English  settlers  were  prominent  {predominant)  in  the 
New  World. 

134.  "  C'hilde  Harold  "  brought  Byron  into  —  as  a  poet. 

135.  As  a  man  Byron  had  many  prominent  {predominant)  faults  ; 
it  is  not  easj'  to  say  which  one  v/as  p7'o?ni7ient  {predominant). 

Recipe,  receipt. 

136.  Please  send  me  your  —  for  making  chocolate  ice-cream. 

137.  Paracelsus  furnished  a  —  for  making  a  fairy,  but  had  the 
delicacy  to  refrain  from  using  it. 

138.  He  gave  me  a  —  for  a  liniment,  which  he  said  was  excellent 

for  sprains. 

Relative,  relation. 

139.  He  has  no  —  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

140.  I  am  the  nearest  —  he  has  in  the  world. 

Requirement,  requisition,  requisite. 

141.  One  of  the  — s  in  a  great  commander  is  coolness. 

142.  The  — s  for  admission  to  college  vary. 

143.  One  of  the  — s  in  a  United  States  minister  to  France  is  that 
he  be  wealthy,  for  the  salary  paid  is  insufficient  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  minister's  social  obligations. 

144.  That  locomotive  engineers  be  not  color-blind  is  a  just  — . 

145.  The  wars  of  Napoleon  were  marked  by  the  enormous  — s 
which  were  made  on  invaded  countries. 


40  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Resort,  Resource,  Recourse. 

146.  The  woods  were  her  favorite  — . 

147.  The  United  States  has  unlimited  — s. 

148.  Asheville  has  long  been  a  —  of  wealthy  society  people. 

149.  When  women  engage  in  any  art  or  trade,  it  is  usually  as  a 
last  — . 

150.  General  Lee  had  —  to  stratagem. 

Secretion,  secreting. 

151.  Jailers  are  watchful  to  prevent  the  —  of  poison  in  letters  sent 

to  condemned  prisoners. 

153.  Saliva  is  a  — . 

Sewage,  sewerage. 

153.  The  water  of  rivers  that  have  received  —  is  not  good  to 
drink. 

154.  The  vast  and  intricate  —  of  Paris  is  described  by  Victor  Hugo 

in  "Les  Miserables." 

Situation,  site. 

155.  The  —  of  Samaria  is  far  more  beautiful  than  the  —  of  Jeru- 
salem, though  not  so  grand  and  wild. 

156.  Dr.  Schliemann  made  excavations  to  discover  the  —  of  Troy. 

157.  Our  school  buildings  have  a  fine  — . 

158.  Has  the  —  of  Professor  Richard's  house  been  fixed  ? 

159.  One  of  Nebuchadnezzar's  temples  is  thought  to  have  stood  on 
the  —  of  the  Tower  of  Babel. 

Specialty,  speciality. 

160.  It  is  the  —  of  vice  that  it  is  selfishly  indifl'erent  to  the  in- 
jurious consequences  of  actions. 

161.  Diseases  of  the  throat  are  Dr.  Hall's  — . 

162.  Fountain-pens  a  — . 

163.  "Toughness"  is  the  —  of  Salisbury  iron  ;  therefore  Salisbury 
iron  is  much  in  demand  for  car-wheels. 

Union,  unity. 

164.  How  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  to- 
gether in  — . 

165.  The  —  of  soul  and  body  is  ended  by  death. 

166.  In  the  temper  of  Lord  Bacon  there  was  a  singular  —  of  au- 
dacity and  sobriety. 

167.  This  composition  lacks  — ;  the  writer  treats  of  several  distinct 
subjects. 


OF   NOUNS  41 


EXERCISE  XXIV. 


Tell  why  the  italicized  words  in  the  following  sentences  are  misused, 
and  substitute  for  them  better  expressions : — 

1.  The  West  End  Railway  Company  is  the  factor'^  wbicli  can 
I'emedy  all  this. 

2.  Addison's  "  Cato  "  was  a  success. 

3.  Decoration  Day  is  a  iitting  observance  of  those  who  gave  their 
lives  for  their  country. 

4.  At  the  end  of  each  day  the  teams'^  are  so  brolven  up  that  tliey 
have  to  go  into  the  repah'-shop,  where  the  carpenter  and  blaclismith 
are  able  to  fix  any  part  of  them. 

5.  The  majority  of  the  news  is  unfavorable. 

6.  Search-lights  would  be  an  indispeusable/ac<<?r  in  a  night  attack. 

7.  Bishop  Hatto  lived  in  a  country  where  all  the  productions  were 
spoiled  by  the  weather. 

8.  The  whole  of  the  stupid  boys  in  Germany  struggle  to  pass  this 
test. 

9.  The  police  are  looking  for  the  guilty  parties. 

10.  A  lot  of  men  from  the  country  came  to  town  to  see  the  circus. 

11.  In  the  shed  is  a  mivture'^  of  oars,  seats,  sails,  rudders,  booms, 
and  gaffs. 

12.  They  had  to  take  the  balance  of  his  arm  off. 

13.,  Addison's  essays  were  a  gvG&t  factor  in  improving  the  morals 
of  his  age. 

14.  General  Manager  Payson  Tucker  at  once  sent  detectives  to  the 
scene,  and  every  effort  will  be  made  to  secure  the  gmMj  parties. 

15.  For  a  few  days  Coxey's  army  was  a  success  as  a  show. 

16.  If  it  were  not  for  him  and  a  few  others  of  his  ilk  the  matter 
would  have  been  settled  long  ago. 

EXERCISE  XXV.* 

Illustrate  by  original  sentences  the  correct  tise  of  these  words: — 
Home,  party,  series,  statement,  verdict,  acceptation,  actions,  advance, 
advancement,  avocation,  completion,  allusion,  illusion,  observation, 

•  "Foundations,"  p.  51.        ^  Ibid.,  p.  52.        ^  Consult  a  good  dictionary. 

*  To  THE  Teacher. — It  is  easy  to  underestinuite  the  difficulty  which  this 
exercise  presents  to  pupils.  In  assigning  the  lesson  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  call  for  more  of  this  kind  of  work  than  can  be  done  well.  Con- 
structing a  sentence  to  illustrate  the  correct  use  of  a  word  is  a  valuable 


42  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

observance,  proposal,  proposition,  solicitude,  solicitation,  stimulus, 
stimulant,  capacity,  adherence,  adhesion,  amount,  quantity,  number, 
centre,  middle,  character,  complement,  compliment,  conscience,  con- 
sciousness, council,  counsel,  custom,  habit,  deception,  deceit,  egoist, 
emigration,  immigration,  enormity,  enormousness,  esteem,  estimate, 
falsity,  falseness,  import,  invention,  discovery,  limitation,  majority, 
plurality,  negligence,  neglect,  novitiate,  organization,  organism, 
produce,  product,  production,  prominence,  predominance,  recipe,  re- 
quirement, requisition,  requisite,  resort,  resource,  secretion,  sewage, 
sewerage,  situation,  site,  speciality,  specialty,  union,  unity. 

exercise,  but  it  is  a  difficult  one ;  and  persons  who  know  the  correct  use  of 
a  word  may  be  put  to  their  wit's  end  to  illustrate  that  use.  It  will  be  well 
to  assign  this  exercise  little  by  little,  while  the  class  works  through  the  defi- 
nitions and  exercises  on  pages  23-41 ;  or  else  to  select  from  the  list  the 
words  on  which  the  class  needs  most  drill.  With  some  pupils  it  may  be 
wise  to  omit  the  exercise  entirely. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
OF     PRONOUNS 

Possessive  forms.' — No  apostrophe  is  used  in  forming 
the  possessive  case  of  personal  pronouns.  We  write 
"  ours,"  "  yours,"  "  liers,"  "  its,"  "  theirs."  "  It's  "  is  a  con- 
traction for  "it  is." 

EXERCISE  XXVI. 

Write  from  dictation — 

1.  John's  hat  is  old,  yours  is  new. 

2.  The  bear  was  lying  on  its  side,  dead. 

3.  The  Browns'  house  is  larger  than  ours,  but  ours  is  more  con- 
venient than  theirs. 

4.  Yours  very  respectfully,  John  Smith. 

5.  See  the  yacht !  it's  coming  into  the  harbor  under  full  sail. 

6.  Show  Mary  your  doll ;  it  should  not  grieve  you  that  yours  is 
not  so  pretty  as  hers. 

7.  That  fault  was  not  yours. 

8.  Helen's  eyes  followed  the  direction  of  hers. 

Nominative  or  Objective  Case.^ — There  are  only  seven 
words  in  the  English  language  that  now  have  diiferent 
forms  for  the  nominative  and  objective  cases ;  therefore  it 
is  only  in  the  use  of  these  words  that  we  need  to  observe 
any  rules  about  "  nominative  "  or  "  objective."  Since,  how- 
ever, these  seven  words  are  more  frequently  used  than  any 
other  words,  the  possibilities  of  error  in  choosing  between  the 
nominative  and  the  objective  are  many.  Mistakes  of  this 
kind  are  common,  and  produce  a  very  unpleasant  effect  on 
cultivated  people.     The  seven  words   that  have  different 

'  "  Foundations,"  p.  60.  '  Ihid.,  pp.  61-62. 


44  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

forms  for  the  nominative  and  objective  cases  are  the  fol- 
lowing pronouns': — 


Nominative. 
1 

Objective. 

me 

Nominative. 

she 

Objective. 
her 

we 

us 

they 

them 

thou 

thee 

who 

whom 

he 

him 

It  is  taken  for  granted  that  the  student  has  already 
learned  the  following  principles  of  syntax : — 

1.  Words  nsed  absolutely  and  the  subjects  of  finite  verbs  should  in 
English  be  put  in  the  nominative  form. 

3.  The  subjects  of  infinitives  and  the  objects  of  verbs  and  preposi- 
tions should  be  in  tlie  objective  form. 

3.'  Words  in  apposition  should  be  in  the  same  case. 

4.  The  verb  ''to  be,"  or  any  of  its  forms  (am,  is,  are,  were,  etc.), 
does  not  take  an  object,  but,  being  equivalent  in  meaning  to  the  sym- 
bol "  =,"  takes  the  same  case  after  it  as  before  it :  the  nominative, 
if  the  form  is  "finite";  the  objective,  if  the  form  is  "infinitive"  and 
has  a  subject  of  its  own.  "  I  know  it  is  lie,"  "I  know  it  to  be  Mm," 
and  " The  stranger  is  tliought  to  be  lie"  are  grammatically  correct. 


11 


Sentences  like  "  She  invited  Mrs.  R.  and  J  to  go  driving 
are  common,  even  among  people  generally  well-informed. 
Such  mistakes  will  be  avoided  if  the  speaker  stops  to  think 
what  the  form  would  be  if  the  pronoun  were  not  coupled 
with  a  noun.  No  one  would  think  of  saying,  "She  in- 
vited I  to  go  driving." 

Persons  who  are  in  doubt  as  to  which  form  of  the  pro- 
noun to  use  often  try  to  avoid  the  diiRculty  by  using  one  of 
the  pronouns  ending  in  "  -self  " — pronouns  which  have  the 
same  form  for  both  the  nominative  and  the  objective  case. 
Thus  many  persons,  uncertain  whether  to  use  "I"  or 
"me"  in  the  sentence  quoted  above,  would  say  instead, 
"She  invited  Mrs.  R  and  myself  to  go  driving."     This  is 

'  I  omit  ye,  you,  because  they  are  used  interchangeably.  I  omit  also 
compounds  of  who,  wTiom. 


OF   PRONOUNS  45 

no  better  than  "  Mrs.  K  and  7,"  or  "  her  and  Z"  The  pro- 
nouns in  "-self"  are  properly  used  only  for  emphasis  or  in 
a  reflexive  sense.'  It  is  right  to  say:  "I  will  go  myself'' ; 
"Carrie  herself  \\'QX\%  to  the  door";  "God  helps  those  who 
help  themselves^  It  would  be  wrong  to  say,  "  Harry  and 
inyselfhaxQ  bought  a  horse  together." 

When  a  pronoun  in  "-self"  is  used  reflexively,  it  refers 
to  the  subject  of  the  clause  in  which  it  stands. 

In  sentences  like  "  This  advice  is  free  to  lohoever  will 
take  it,"  the  word  ending  in  "-ever"  is  the  subject  of  the 
verb  "will  take,"  not  the  object  of  the  preposition  "to." 
The  right  form,  therefore,  is  "  whoever,"  not  "  whomever." 
The  object  or,  better,  the  "base"  of  the  preposition  "to" 
is  the  whole  clause,  "whoever  will  take  it." 

EXERCISE  XXVII. 

Insert  the  proper  form  of  pronoun  in  each  blank,  and  give  the  reason 
for  your  choice : —  j 

I,  me,  myself. 

1.  Taking  a  carriage,  my  brother  uud  —  drove  to  tlie  east  end  of 
Cape  Elizabeth. 

2.  Mr.  C.  and  —  walked  around  the  lake  by  moonlight. 

3.  The  walk  gave  pleasure  to  both  Mr.  C.  and  — . 

4.  Between  you  and  — ,  affairs  look  dark. 

5.  The  Star  contains  a  paper  on  "  Our  Streets,"  which  was  writ- 
ten by  — . 

6.  He  is  taller  than  — .^ 

7.  There  is,  you  remember,  an  old  agreement  between  you  and  — . 

8.  May  John  and  —  go  to  tlie  ball-game  ? 

9.  Please  let  John  and  —  go  to  the  ball-game. 

10.  They  met  Robert  and  —  in  the  village 

11.  Wh,o  is  there  ?    Only  — . 

'  "Foundations,"  p.  64. 

"  In  sentences  like  this  the  correct  form  will  become  evident  if  the 
speaker  mentally  completes  the  sentence  thus :  He  is  taller  than  —  ayn. 
The  greater  part  of  the  clause  after  "than"  or  "as"  is  generally  omitted. 


46  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

12.  To  send  —  away,  and  for  a  whole  year,  too,  — ,  who  had  never 
been  away  from  home,  was  not  easy  for  mother. 

13.  Will  you  let  Brown  and  —  have  your  boat  ? 

14.  Dr.  Holmes  shook  hands  with  the  girls,  —  among  the  rest. 

15.  Next  month  my  brother  and  —  are  going  to  Bar  Harbor. 

16.  It  was  —  who  called  to  you. 

17.  I  was  beside  — . 

18.  Would  you  go,  if  you  were  —  ? 

19.  Father  bought  brother  and  —  tickets  for  the  concert. 

20.  He  said  he  would  bring  some  flowers  to  Frances  and  — . 

21.  You  suffer  from  headache  more  than  — . 

22.  We  shall  soon  see  which  is  the  better  boxer,  you  or  — . 

23.  Who  rang  the  bell  ?    — . 

24.  The  taller  man  was  supposed  to  be  — . 

25.  Every  one  has  gone  except  you  and  — . 

26.  The  world  will  rest  content  with  such  poor  things  as  you 
and  — . 

27.  He  was  a  sublimer  poet  than  — . 

28.  Was  it  —  that  you  saw  ? 

29.  How  can  you  thus  address  me,  — ,  who  am  your  friend? 

80.  Let  you  and  —  go  for  berries  alone,  if  he  will  not  go  with  us. 

81.  There  is  no  one  here  but  you  and  — . 
32.  Is  it  —  you  wish  to  see  ? 

83.  He  said  that  you  and  —  might  go. 

84.  Oh,  no  ;  it  couldn't  have  been  — . 

85.  Harry  left  word  for  you  and  —  to  come  to  his  room. 

86.  Other  girls  have  books  as  well  as  — . 

37.  Its  being  —  should  make  no  difference. 

38.  Young  Macdonald  and  —  went  to  New  York  last  Thursday. 

39.  She  knew  it  to  be  —  by  my  gait. 

11. 

We,  us,  ourselves. 

1.  Our  friends  and  —  are  going  out  to-night. 

2.  He  has  come  to  take  our  friends  and  —  driving. 

3.  They  are  wiser  than  — ,  since  they  are  older. 

4.  They  will  lose  more  than  —  by  the  failure  of  the  bank. 

5.  The  Germans  are  better  plodders  than  — . 

6.  It  may  have  been  —  who  (whom)  you  saw. 

7.  —  boys  are  having  a  fine  time. 


OF   PRONOUNS  47 

8.  Have  you  seen  the  picture  of  —  three  girls  in  a  boat,  talvcu  by 
Mr.  B.  ? 

9.  There  are  five  hundred  miles  between  father  and  — . 

10.  They  know  that  as  well  as  — . 

11.  They  don't  succeed  any  better  than  — . 

12.  They  as  well  as  —  were  disappointed. 

13.  —  ought  not  to  get  angry  when  others  criticise  —  for  faults 
which freely  acknowledge. 

14  "  It  is  not  fit  for  such  as  — 

To  sit  with  rulers  of  the  land." 

III. 

Thou,  thee,  thyself. 

1.  I  will  not  learn  my  duty  from  such  as  — . 

2.  If  they  rob  only  such  as  — ,  I  hold  them  right  honest  folk. 

3.  Love  —  last. 

4.  "  The  nations  not  so  blest  as  — 

Must  hi  their  turn  to  tyrants  fall." 

5.  "  Wife,  dost  —  know  that  all  the  world  seems  queer  except  — 
and  me;  and  sometimes  I  think  even  —  art  a  little  queer  ?" 

6.  "  Hail  to  — ,  blithe  spirit ; 

Bird  —  never  wert." 

IV. 

He,  him,  himself. 

1.  There  is  a  difference  between  an  employer  and  —  who  (whom) 
be  employs. 

2.  John  —  wrote  that  letter. 

3.  You  are  nearly  as  tall  as  — . 

4.  All  wore  dress  suits  except  Charles  and  — . 

5.  I  know  that  it  was  — . 

6.  I  knew  it  to  be  — . 

7    —  being  young,  they  tried  to  deceive  him. 

8.  It  was  either  —  or  his  brother  that  called. 

9.  What  Avere  you  and  —  talking  about  ? 

10.  I  can  run  as  fast  as  — . 

11.  — who  had  always  protected  her,  she  now  saw  dead  at  her  feet. 

12.  —  and  his  father  are  in  business  together. 

13.  She  is  as  good  as  — . 

14.  I  should  never  have  imagined  it  to  be  — . 

15.  Boys  like  you  and  —  are  expected  to  do  what  is  right  without 
being  told. 


48  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

16.  Yes,  I  told  them  what  you  said,  —  among  the  rest. 

17.  I  did  as  well  as  — . 

18.  It  was  Joseph,  —  whom  Pharaoh  made  prime-minister, 

19.  Let  —  who  made  thee  answer  that. 

20.  Whom  can  I  trust,  if  not  —  ? 

V. 

She,  her,  herself. 

1.  Before  leaving  Mary  we  saw  —  and  her  baggage  safe  on  the 

train. 

2.  —  and  her  two  cousins  have  been  visiting  us. 

3.  1  would  not  go  to  town  alone,  if  I  were  — . 

4.  It  was  not  —  but  her  sister  that  you  met  yesterday. 

5.  You  are  as  old  as  — . 

6.  —  and  I  are  not  in  the  same  class. 

7.  Was  it  —  that  did  it  ? 

8.  I  cannot  let  you  and  —  sit  together. 

9.  You  play  the  violin  better  than  — . 

10.  Such  girls  as  —  are  not  good  companions. 

11.  I  am  certain  that  it  was  — . 

12.  Girls  like  —  are  not  good  company. 

13.  If  any  one  is  embarrassed,  it  will  not  be  — , 

14.  If  any  one  is  late  it  will  be  sure  to  be  — . 

VI. 

They,  them,  themselves. 

1.  —  and  their  children  have  left  town. 

2.  We  shall  soon  be  as  poor  as  — . 

3.  Yes,  it  was  — . 

4.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  Macdonalds  are  Scotch  or  Irish 
but  I  thought  the  Scotch  family  alluded  to  might  be  — . 

5.  The  mischievous  boys  you  speak  of  could  not  have  been  — 

for  —  were  at  home. 

VII. 
Who,  whom,  whoever,  whomever. 
l    —  are  you  going  to  give  that  to  ? 

2.  —  do  men  say  that  I  am  ? 

3.  —  do  men  think  me  to  be  ? 

4.  —  am  I  supposed  to  l)e  ? 

5.  —  do  you  think  will  be  elected  ? 
6_  —  do  you  think  they  will  select  ? 


OF   PRONOUNS  49 

7.  I  do  not  know  —  to  compare  him  to. 

8.  Tell  me  in  sadness  —  is  she  you  love  ? 

9.  —  are  you  going  to  call  ou  next  ? 

10.  How  can  we  tell  —  to  trust  ? 

11.  —  is  that  for  ? 
13.  Elect  —  you  like. 

13.  —  did  you  see  at  the  village  ? 

14.  —  did  you  say  went  with  you  ? 

15.  Do  you  know  —  you  can  get  to  take  my  trunk  ? 

16.  —  were  you  talking  to  just  now  ? 

17.  I  do  not  know  —  j^ou  mean. 

18.  Do  you  remember  —  he  married  ? 

19.  We  will  refer  the  question  to  —  you  may  select  as  arbitrator 

20.  —  can  this  letter  be  from  ? 

21.  He  is  a  man  —  I  know  is  honest.' 

22.  He  is  a  man  —  I  know  to  be  honest.' 

23.  —  do  you  take  me  to  be  ? 

24.  —  did  you  expect  to  see  ? 

25.  Can't  you  remember  —  you  gave  it  to  ? 

26.  I  saw  a  man  —  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  was  Julian  H. 

27.  We  like  to  be  witli  those  —  we  love  and  —  we  know  love  us, 
let  them  be  —  they  may. 

28.  —  do  you  think  it  was  that  called  ? 

29.  He  confided  his  plan  to  those  —  he  thought  were  his  friends. 

30.  He  confided  his  plan  to  those  —  he  thought  he  could  trust. 

31.  We  recommend  only  those  —  we  think  can  pass  the  examina- 
tions, and  —  we  know  will  do  their  best. 

32.  —  do  you  think  she  looks  like  ? 

33.  One  letter  was  from  an  applicant  —  I  afterwards  learned  had 
been  out  of  a  position  for  two  years. 

34.  —  did  you  suppose  it  was  ? 

35.  Opposite  him  was  a  handsome  man  —  John  knew  must  be 
Kathleen's  uncle. 

36.  A  witness  —  the  counsel  for  the  defence  expected  would  be 
present  was  kept  away  by  illness. 

'  In  the  first  of  these  sentences  the  pronoun  to  be  supplied  is  the  subject 
of  "  is  honest,"  and  "  I  know  "  is  parenthetical.     In  the  second  sentence, 
the  pronoun  to  be  supplied  is  the  subject  of  "  to  be  honest,"  which  is  the 
complement  of  "  I  know." 
3 


50  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

37.  A  witness  —  the  counsel  expected  to  be  present  was  kept 
away. 

38.  Give  it  to  —  seems  to  need  it  most. 

39.  —  does  he  tliink  it  could  have  been  ? 

40.  Tliey  have  found  the  child  —  they  thought  was  stolen. 

41.  Mr.  Morton,  — ,  it  is  announced,  the  President  has  appointed 
minister  to  France,  has  a  house  at  Saratoga. 

43.  Miss  C.  married  an  old  gentleman  —  they  say  is  very  wealthy. 

43.  The  king  offered  to  give  his  daughter  in  marriage  to  —  would 
kill  the  terrible  monster. 

44.  —  do  you  think  I  saw  in  Paris  ? 

45.  —  are  j'ou  going  to  vote  for  ? 

46.  They  left  me  ignorant  as  to  —  it  was. 

47.  We  were  betrayed  by  those  —  we  thought  would  die  for  us. 

48.  I  don't  know  —  to  ask  for. 

49.  I  know  —  it  is  I  serve. 

50.  The  President  has  appointed  Mr.  L.,  —  he  thinks  will  show 
himself  well  fitted  for  the  position. 

51.  One  member  of  the  committee  was  absent  — ,  it  was  asserted  by 
the  minority,  would  have  voted  in  the  negative. 

52.  The  officer  addressed  the  woman,  —  he  plainly  saw  to  be  very 
much  out  of  place  there. 

53.  —  did  he  refer  to,  he  (him)  or  I  (me)? 

54.  Ariel  was  a  spirit  —  a  certain  witch  had  shut  up  in  a  tree. 

55.  If  she  did  not  take  after  Anne,  —  did  she  take  after  ? 

Pronouns  before  Verbal  Nouns.' — Grammarians  distin- 
guish three  kinds  of  words  formed  from  verbs  by  the  add- 
ing of  "-ing." 

1.  "We  found  Katharine  singing  a  merry  song."  In 
this  sentence  "  singing  " — equivalent  to  "  who  was  singing  " 
— describes  Katharine,  and  is  therefore  used  as  an  adjec- 
tive ;  but  it  also  partakes  of  the  nature  of  a  verb,  for  it  has 
a  direct  object,  "  song."  Such  words,  partaking  of  the  nat- 
ure of  both  adjective  and  verb,  are  called  participles. 

2.  "  Blithely  singing  pretty  songs  keeps  one's  spirits  up." 

'  "Foundations,"  pp.  62-64. 


OF   PRONOUNS  51 

Here  "  singing  "  is  a  noun,  the  subject  of  the  sentence  ;  yet 
it  has  a  direct  object,  "  songs,"  and  is  modified  by  the  ad- 
verb "  blithely."  Such  words,  partaking  of  the  nature  of 
both  noun  and  verb,  are  called  gerunds. 

A  noun  or  a  pronoun  used  before  a  gerund  to  denote  the 
subject  of  the  action  should  be  put  in  the  possessive  case. 
The  reason  for  this  becomes  evident  if,  in  the  sentence  "  Do 
you  remember  Katharine  {Katharine's)  singing f''  we  sub- 
stitute for  the  noun  "  singing  "  another  noun,  "  song  ;"  thus, 
"Do  you  remember  Katharine  {Katharine's)  songf''  The 
direct  object  of  "  remember "  is  "  singing,"  which  is  de- 
scribed by  the  possessive  "  Katharine's." 

3.  "Katharine's  blithe  singing  of  merry  songs  helps  to 
make  home  happy."  Here,  too,  "singing"  is  a  noun  ;  but 
now  its  verbal  character  has  disappeared,  for  it  is  modified 
by  an  adjective  "blithe,"  and  instead  of  a  direct  object  we 
have  the  prepositional  phrase  "  of  merry  songs."  Such 
words  derived  from  verbs  are  abstract  verbal  nouns. 

When  a  word  in  "-ing"  is  modified  by  "the"  or  some 
other  adjective,  it  is  an  abstract  verbal  noun,  and  cannot 
have  an  object.  Conversely,  if  it  is  followed  by  "  of"  and 
a  noun  instead  of  by  a  direct  object,  it  should  be  modified 
by  "the"  or  some  other  adjective. 

EXERCISE   XXVIII. 

Which  of  t7ie  following  forms  is  preferable?     Oive  tJie  reason: — 

1.  I  heard  of  him  (his)  coming  home. 

2.  What  do  you  think  of  Marguerite  (Marguerite's)  studying 
Latin  ? 

3.  Have  you  any  doubt  of  Kathleen  (Kathleen's)  being  happy  ? 

4.  We  saw  the  lady  (lady's)  crossing  the  street. 

5.  Do  you  remember  my  (me)  speaking  to  you  about  your  pen- 
manship ? 

6.  We  saw  the  old  miser  (miser's)  sitting  alone  in  front  of  his  hut. 

7.  What  is  tlie  good  of  your  (you)  going  now  ? 

8.  There  was  no  doubt  of  him  (his)  being  promoted. 


52  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

9.  Trust  to  me  (my)  being  on  time. 

10.  Are  you  surprised  at  it  (its)  being  him  (he)? 

11.  No  doubt  his  example  will  be  followed  by  others,  with  the 
consequence  of  the  country  (country's)  being  overrun  by  tramps. 

12.  Look  at  him  (his)  reading  a  book. 

13.  The  delay  was  caused  by  us  (our)  missing  the  train. 

14.  I  found  him  (his)  reading  Idyls  of  the  King. 

15.  This  may  lead  to  Harry  (Harry's)  getting  a  position. 

16.  We  did  not  see  the  house  (house's)  burning. 

17.  You  (your)  writing  the  letter  so  neatly  secured  for  you  the 
position. 

18.  The  man's  (man)  breaking  jail  is  evidence  of  his  guilt. 

19.  What  do  you  think  about  this  cloth  (cloth's)  wearing  well? 

20.  We  must  insist  upon  every  man  (man's)  doing  his  duty. 

21.  Mr.  R.'s  (Mr.  R.)  having  come  to  town  will  soon  be  known. 

22.  There  is  prospect  of  the  Senate  (Senate's)  passing  the  tariff  bill. 

23.  What  use  is  tliere  in  a  man  (man's)  swearing  ? 

24.  His  parents  are  opposed  to  him  (liis)  playing  football. 

25.  No  one  ever  saw  fat  men  (men's)  heading  a  riot. 

26.  A  fierce  struggle  ensued,  ending  in  the  intruder  (intruder's) 
being  worsted. 

27.  Piofessor  C.  relies  on  us  (our)  passing  our  examinations. 

28.  I  felt  my  heart  (heart's)  beating  faster. 

29.  There  is  no  use  in  me  (my)  trying  to  learn  Hebrew. 

30.  I  enjoy  nothing  more  than  the  sight  of  a  yacht  (yacht's)  sailing 
in  a  stiff  breeze. 

31.  Brown  (Brown's)  being  a  manufacturer  prevented  his  election. 

EXERCISE  XXIX. 

DistinguisJi  in  meaning  between  tJie  following  sentences : —  . 

1.  The  man   (man's)   asking  to   be   allowed  to   vote   started  a 
quarrel. 

2.  Did  you  sec  him  (his)  riding  ? 

8.  I  had  to  liiugli  at  Jolm  (John's)  riding  a  bicycle. 

4.  Thinli  of  me  (my)  eating  frogs'  legs. 

5.  Mucli  depends  on  the  teacher  (teacher's)  correcting  the  papers. 

6.  Did  you  watcli  him  (his)  entering  the  room  ? 

7.  Did  you  hear  Ruth  (Ruth's)  singing  ? 

8.  No  one  ever  heard  of  that  man  (man's)  running  for  office. 


OF   PRONOUNS  53 

EXERCISE  XXX. 

Explain  the  faults  in  the  follmcing  sentences  and  correct  them  in 
several  ways: — 

1.  He  read  the  parable  about  the  sowing  the  seed. 

2.  Good  writing  depends  on  reading  of  good  books. 

3.  Youth  is  the  time  for  the  forming  tlie  character. 

4.  "  In  building  of  chaises,  I  tell  you  what, 

There  is  always  somewhere  a  weakest  spot." 

5.  He  would  not  aid  me  so  much  as  by  the  lifting  a  hand.    ' 

6.  Groaning  of  prisoners  and  clanking  of  chains  were  heard. 

7.  By  the  obtaining  wisdom  you  will  command  esteem. 

8.  By  reading  of  good  books  his  style  was  improved. 

9.  The  taking  things  by  force  is  apt  to  make  trouble. 

10.  A  more  careful  guarding  the  prisoners  would  have  prevented 
this  accident. 

Choice  of  Relative  Pronouns.' — Who  is  now  used  only  of 
persons;  ichich,  of  things;  that,  of  either  persons  or  tilings. 
As  a  rule,  euphony  decides  between  who  or  which  and 
that. 

"Who  is  used  chiefly  of  persons  (though  also  often  of  the  higher 
animals),  which  almost  only  of  animals  and  things  (in  old  English 
also  of  persons),  and  that  indifferently  of  either,  except  after  a  prep- 
osition, where  only  toho  \%olwii'h\  or  which  can  stand.  Some  recent 
authorities  teach  that  only  that  should  be  used  when  the  relative 
clause  is  limiting  or  defining :  as,  the  man  tJiat  runs  fastest  wins  the 
race  ;  but  who  or  which  when  it  is  descriptive  or  co-ordinating  :  as, 
this  man,  w7io  ran  fastest,  won  the  race ;  but,  though  present  usage 
is  perhaps  tending  in  the  direction  of  such  a  distinction,  it  neither 
has  been  nor  is  a  rule  of  English  speech,  nor  is  it  likely  to  become 
one,  especially  on  account  of  the  impossibility  of  setting  that  after  a 
preposition ;  for  to  turn  all  relative  clauses  into  the  form  '  the  house 
that  Jack  lived  iii '  (instead  of  '  the  house  in  lohich  Jack  lived ')  would 
be  intolerable.  In  good  punctuation  the  defining  relative  is  distin- 
guished (as  in  the  examples  above)  by  never  taking  a  comma  before 
it,  whether  it  be  who  or  which  or  that.  Wherever  tfmt  could  be  prop- 
erly Used,  but  only  there,  the  relative  may  be,  and  very  often  is, 

1  "  Foundations,"  pp.  60,  65,  67-69. 


54  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 

omitted  altogether ;  thus,  the  house  Jack  built  or  lived  in ;  the  man 
he  built  it  for.  "1 

When  the  antecedent  includes  both  persons  and  things, 
that  is  preferable  to  icho  or  lohich. 

"  When  the  antecedent  is  a  neuter  noun  not  personified, 
a  writer  should  prefer  of  which  to  whose,  unless  euphony 
requires  the  latter."  "^ 

What,  as  a  relative  pronoun,  is  equivalent  to  "that 
which."  It  is  never  used  with  an  antecedent,  since  the 
antecedent  is  included  in  the  meaning  of  the  word. 

The  word  as  is  a  relative  pronoun  only  after  "  such  "  or 
"same."  After  "such"  the  proper  relative  is  "as";  after 
"  same  "  it  is  "  as  "  or  "  that."  "  Same  as  usually  expresses 
identity  of  kind,  same  that  absolute  identity,  except  in  con- 
tracted sentences  where  same  as  is  alone  found  :  cf.  '  he 
uses  the  same  books  as  you  do,'  '  he  uses  the  same  books 
that  you  do,' '  he  uses  the  same  books  as  you.'  "  ' 

EXERCISE  XXXI. 

Insert  the  proper  relative  pronoun  in  the  blanks  in  the  following 
sentences,  giving  the  reason  forjica'r  choice : — 

1.  Man  is  the  only  animaf  —  caii  talk. 

2.  There  are  many  persons  — ,  Tihough  they  be  starving,  will  not 

beg-  ^^rC^i.  -rJU' 

3.  This  is  the  malt  —  lay  in  the  house- —  Jack  built. 

4.  I  will  have  no  such  son-in-law  —  thinks  himself  better  than 
I  (me).*  ^(Lc^- 

5.  Tenny^on^ —  was  the  foremost  poet  of  England,  died  in  1893. 

6.  -TimV '-— IS  lost  is,never  found  again. 

7.  There  are  many''—  saw  him^fall. 

8.  The  soldiers  and  cannon^—  you  saw  belong  to  the  French  army. 

9.  Who  —  hefars  Professor  C.  read  the  court  scene  from  "Pick 
wick  "  does  not  go  away  delighted  ? 


1  The  Century  Dictionary.  *  "  Foundations,"  p.  68. 

Murray's  Dictionary.  *  See  ntfte,  p.  46. 


3 


A. 


/ 


OF   PKONOUNS  55 


10.  She  is  the  same  girl  since  her.inarriage'^-»^,'she  was  before  it. 

11.  Tlie  dog  dropped  the  bone,  — " llien  fell  into  the  water. 
13.  He'— 'does  all  —  he  can  does  all  —  can  be  expected. 

13.  Her  hair,  -^"  v^as  dark  brown,  was  gathered  in  a  Grecian  knot 

14.  Tears,  such'2,^angels  weep,. burst  forth. 

15.  I  have  a  water- spanielj--%^61  lows  me  everywhere. 

16.  The  horse  —  fan  away  with  Harry  belonged  to  Mr,  H. 

17.  Such.r^r  I  have  I  give  y.ou. 

18.  This  is  the  sam^  man  —  T'spoke  of. 

19.  The  diamond;^'is  so  highly  prized,  is  pure  carbon,  —  in  the 
form  of  charcoal  is  familiar  to  all. 

20.  All    the    men    and   horses-'4«  were   on   the   transports   were 
drowned  when  the  vessels  sank. 

21.  The  murdered  innocents  at  Bethlehem  were  martyrs  -^  died 
for  a  king  —  they  had  never  seen,  ^i.-^;- 

22.  What  pleased  me  most,  and  —  has  been  most  frequently  men- 
tioned by  visitors  to  the  fair,  was  the  beauty  of  the  buildings. 

23.  I  trusted  to  my  dog,  -r-  knew  the  way  better  than  I  did. 

24.  Dr.  A.'s  report  shows  the  same  record  of  efficiency  —  has  al- 
ways characterized  his  conduct.  ^^ 

25.  Shakespeare  was  the  greatest  peer—  the  English  race  has  pro- 
duced. 'A 

26.  He  spends  all  —  he  earns. 

27.  The  review  of  the  National  Guard  of  Pennsylvania  by  Sheri 
dan  was  the  largest  military  display  —  I  have  seen. 

28.  Was  it  you  or  the  wind  -^  made  those  noises? 

29.  We  have  invited  the  same  girls  —  were  here  yesterday. 

30.  It  was  the  cat,  not  I  or  the  wind,  —  frightened  you. 

31.  The  dog  ^-^  my  brother  gave  me  ran  away. 

32.  Do  you  know  that  man  —  is  just  entering  the  car? 

33.  Such  eloquence  —  was  heard  in  the  Senate  in  those  days! 

34.  He  held  the  same  political  opinions  -^''£is  illustrious  friend, 

35.  "Nature  ever  faithful  is 

To  such  —  trust  her  faithfulness." 
36i   Is  this  a  dagger^^-'I  see  before  me  ? 
37.   We  saw  the  men  and  arms  ^- were  captured. 

Either  or  Any  one,  Neither  or  No  one.' — Either  means 
1  "  Foundations,"  pp.  69-70. 


56  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

vivir^  "one  of  the  two":  neither,  "no  one  of  the  two."  When 
more  than  two  persons  or  things  are  spoken  of,  "  any  one  " 
is  preferable  to  "either,"  and  "no  one"  to  "neither." 


^ 


EXERCISE 

Insert  the  'proper  loord  or  words  {"eitlier,"  "neither,"  "any  one," 
'no  one")  in  each  blank  in  the  foUoicing  sentences: — 

1.  Only  three  persons  saw  the  fight,  and  —  of  them  would  testify. 

2.  Has  —  of  you  two  gentlemen  a  fountain-pen  ? 

3.  I  defy  any  candid  and  clear  thinker  to  deny  in  the  name  of 
Inductive  science  —  of  these  six  propositions. 

4.  When  two  persons  disagree,  it  is  not  likely  that  —  is  altogether 
wrong. 

5.  Has  —  of  you  who  have  just  come  from  the  hall-field  seen 
Julian  ? 

6.  I  have  several  histories  of  France,  —  of  which  will  give  you 
the  information. 

7.  Here  come  Harry  and  Arthur;  —  will  go  to  get  it  for  you. 

8.  Give  it  to  the  six  successful  students  or  to  —  of  them. 

Each  or  all.' — Each  denotes  every  one  of  any  number 
taken  one  by  one ;  all  denotes  the  entire  number  taken  to- 
gether. 

EXERCISE 

Insert  the  proper  word  ("  each,'''  "all ")  in  each  blank : — 

1.  —  gave  me  his  (their)  hand(s). 

2.  —  of  the  workmen  received  two  dollars  a  day. 

3.  —  of  the  children  has  (have)  his  (their)  peculiar  traits. 

4.  —  of  the  members  is  (are)  entitled  to  a  vote. 

5.  He  gave  an  apple  to  —  of  us. 

6.  Did  j'our  fatlier  bring  the  boat  to  Harry?  No,  he  brought  it 
to  —  of  us. 

7.  —  of  them  did  his  (their)  duty. 


OF   PRONOUxXS  57 

in  such  expressions  as  "every  one,"  "no  one,"  "many  a 
one."     The  reflexive  is  "one's  self." 

It  is  a  common  but  serious  fault  to  begin  to  write  in  the 
third  person,  and  then  to  change  to  the  first  or  second. 

EXERCISE  XXXIV. 

Fill  the  blanks  with  the  proper  pro  nouns : — 

1.  The  Second  Regiment  of  the  National  Guard,  —  was  sent  to 
Pittsburg  during  the  strike,  and  —  is  now  in  camp  at  Gettysburg, 
has  six  hundred  members. 

2.  John  started  to  school  last  Monday;  we  wish  —  success. 

3.  Proud  damsel,  —  shalt  be  proudly  met.  I  withdraw  my  pre- 
tensions to  —  hand  until  I  return  from  the  war. 

4.  As  —  hast  said,  —  lands  are  not  endangered.  But  hear  me 
before  I  leave  — . 

5.  The  cat  was  crouching  on  the  piazza  and  we  were  watching 
— .     Suddenly  —  tail  twitched  nervously  and  —  prepared  to  spring. 

6.  "Ere  you  remark  anotlier's  sin, 

Bid  —  conscience  look  within." 

7.  At  first  one  is  likely  to  wonder  where  the  boats  are,  since  on 
entering  the  grove  —  is  (are)  able  to  see  only  a  small  cabin. 

8.  Dost  —  talk  of  revenge  ?  —  conscience,  it  seems,  has  grown 
dull. 

9.  As  a  Christian  —  art  obliged  to  forgive  —  enemy. 

10.  Did  you  never  bear  false  witness  against  —  neighbor  ? 

11.  The  sheplierd  ran  after  a  sheep  and  caught  —  just  as  —  was 
jumping  over  a  hedge. 

12.  The  hen  gatliered  —  brood  under  —  wing, 

13.  This  is  a  book  which  I  have  never  read,  but  one  —  is  recom- 
mended by  Mrs.  M. 

EXERCISE  XXXV. 

1.  Write  the  following  note  in  clear  and  correct  form,  using  the 
third  person : — 

"Mr.  Smith  presents  his  compliments  to  Mr.  Jones,  and  finds  he 
has  a  cap  which  isn't  mine.  So,  if  you  have  a  cap  which  isn't  his. 
no  doubt  they  are  the  ones."  ' 

'  Quoted  in  "  Foundations,"  p.  74. 


58  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

2.  Write  a  formal  note  in  the  third  person,  asking  an  acquaint 
ance  to  dine  with  you  at  a  certain  hour  in  order  that  you  may  con- 
sult with  him  about  some  matter  of  importance. 

3.  Write  a  note  in  the  third  person  accepting  or  declining  this  in- 
vitation. 

4.  Write  a  formal  note  in  the  third  person  to  some  gentleman  to 
whom  you  have  a  letter  of  introduction,  asiiing  when  it  will  be  con- 
venient to  have  you  call. 

5.  Write  a  notice  in  the  third  person  offering  a  reward  for  the  re- 
covery of  a  lost  article. 

Singular  or  Plural  Pronouns.' — The  rule  that  a  pronoun 
should  be  in  the  same  number  as  its  antecedent  is  violated 
most  commonly  in  connection  with  such  expressions  as 
"  any  one,"  "  each,"  "  either,"  "  every,"  "  man  after  man," 
"  neither,"  "  nobody."  Grammatically  such  expressions  are 
singular. 

"He"  ("his,"  "him")  may  stand  for  mankind  in  general 
and  include  women  as  well  as  men. 

EXERCISE  XXXVI. 

Mil  the  blanks  loitTi  the  proper  pronouns : — 
1.  Many  a  brave  man  met  —  death  in  the  war. 
3.  Has  everybody  finished  —  exercise  ? 

3.  If  any  one  has  not  finished  let  —  hold  up  —  hand. 

4.  It  is  true  that  this  is  a  free  country;  but  that  does  not  meaq 
that  every  one  may  do  as  —  please  (pleases). 

5.  Either  John  or  Harry  will  let  you  look  on  —  book. 

6.  Let  each  take  —  turn. 

7.  If  anybody  but  John  had  come,  we  would  not  have  ad- 
mitted — . 

8.  Any  one  who  wishes  may  have  a  ribbon  to  wear  in  —  button- 
hole. 

9.  Neither  Bois-Guilbert  nor  Front  de  Bceuf  found  himself  (them- 
selves) a  match  for  the  unknown  knight  who  chyllenged  — . 

10.  Every  kind  of  animal  has  —  own  proper  food. 

11.  Not  an  oflacer,  not  a  private  escaped  getting  —  clothes  wet. 

'  "  Foundations,"  pp.  75-76. 


OF   PRONOUxVS  59 

12.  The  Senate  has  (have)  instructed  —  conferees  to  yield  to  the 
demand  of  the  conferees  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

18.  Everybody  has  possessions  of  some  kind  which  —  prize  (prizes) 
highly. 

14.  It  is  a  shame  that  each  of  the  men,  when  —  draw  (draws)  — 
pay,  talie  (takes)  it  to  the  tavern. 

15.  Will  either  of  you  gentlemen  lend  me  —  (tliird  person)  pencil? 

16.  Two  men  saw  the  deed ;  but  neither  would  tell  what  —  saw. 

17.  Every  one  should  be  careful  of  the  feelings  of  those  around  — . 

18.  Each  of  the  pupils  has  (have)  —  own  dictionary. 

19.  Nobody  went  out  of  —  way  to  make  her  feel  at  home. 

20.  Neither  Charles  nor  his  brother  ate  —  breakfast  this  morning. 

21.  Everybody  goes  to  bed  when  —  please  (pleases). 

22.  The  committee  has  handed  in  —  report. 

23.  The  senior  class  has  elected  —  class-day  speakers. 

24.  If  any  one  wishes  to  see  me  let  —  call  at  my  office. 

25.  Either  Florence  or  Grace  will  lend  you  —  fan. 

26.  Every  one  must  judge  of  —  own  feelings. 

27.  Whoever  loves  —  school  should  do  —  best  to  elevate  the  school 
tone. 

28.  A  person  who  is  rude  in  —  table  manners  will  be  disliked. 

29.  Nobody  in  —  senses  ever  thinks  of  doing  that. 

30.  Each  one  as  before  will  chase  —  favorite  phantom. 

31.  She  laughs  like  one  out  of  —  mind. 

32.  Everybody  was  on  deck  amusing  — self  (selves)  as  best  — 
could. 

33.  No  one  should  marry  unless  —  has  (have)  the  means  of  sup- 
porting — self  (selves)  and  —  family. 

34.  Probably  everybody  is  eloquent  at  least  once  in  —  life. 

35.  Everybody  rises  early  and  goes  on  deck,  where  —  inhale  (in- 
hales) the  fresh  salt  air. 

36.  Each  of  the  gentlemen  offered  —  assistance. 

37.  Nobody  but  a  fool  would  have  left  —  money  in  such  a  place. 

38.  Anybody  wishing  to  sell  —  bicycle  will  please  call  at  No.  267. 

39.  Franklin  and  Collins  started  off  together,  each  with  very  little 
money  in  —  pockets. 

40.  In  the  time  of  Franklin's  great-great-grandfather,  if  a  person 
was  caught  using  an  English  Bible  —  was  (were)  treated  as  a  hei-etic. 

41.  Nobody  should  praise  — self  (selves). 

42.  Neither  the  merchant  nor  the  lawyer  made  — self  (selves)  rich. 


60  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

43.  Every  man  and  every  boy  received  —  wages. 

44.  When  tlie  carnival  conies  off  everybody  who  owns  a  boat,  or 
who  can  borrow  one,  decorates  it  as  best  —  can  with  lanterns  and 
trimmings. 

45.  Every  cowboy  carries  a  pistol  and  knows  how  to  use  it  very 
quickly ;  —  also  has  (have)  a  knife  stuck  in  —  belt,  in  the  use  of 
which  —  is  (are)  very  expert. 

46.  Everybody's  heart  is  open,  you  know,  when  —  has  (have)  re- 
eeutly  escaped  from  severe  pain. 

Omitted  Pronouns.' — The  omission  of  necessaiy  pro- 
nouns— an  omission  especially  common  in  business  letters 
— cannot  be  justitied  on  the  ground  of  brevity. 

EXERCISE  XXXVII. 

Insert  fhe  omitted  pronouns  in — 
,     1.  After  twenty -two  years'  experience  announce  the  opening  of 
my  new  store.     Hope  to  serve  the  public  better  by  presenting  new 
ideas.     Would  invite  inspection. 

2.  Have  received  manuscript,  but  not  had  time  to  examine.    Will 
take  up  in  a  few  days.     If  good,  will  publish. 

3.  Dr.  Jones  and  wife  occupy  the  front  room. 

4.  My  inability  to  get  employment,  and  destitute  condition,  de- 
pressed me. 

5.  She  didn't  trouble  to  make  any  excuse  to  her  husband. 

6.  Accept  thanks  for  lovely  present.  Hope  we  may  have  the 
pleasure  of  using  together  in  the  near  future. 

Redundant  Pponouns. — A  vulgarism  not  often  seen  in 
writing,  but  common  in  conversation,  consists  in  the  use 
of  an  unnecessary  pronoun  after  the  subject  of  a  sentence. 
Thus, 

Teacher :  Who  was  Benjamin  Franklin  ? 

Pupil :  Benjamin  Franklin,  he  was  a  great  American  philosopher 
and  statesman. 

'  "  Foundations,"  pp.  77,  78. 


"X- 


CHAPTER   V 


OF    VERBS 


Coppeet  and   Ineoppeet   Fopms.'  —  It  is  not  enough  to 
learn  by  heart  the  "principal  parts"  of  a  verb;  the  habit 


of  using  them  correctly  should  be  acquired, 
ing  verb-forms  are  often  misused  : — 


The  follow- 


Present. 

Past  Indicative. 

Past  Participle. 

awake  (intransitive) 

awoke 

awaked 

begin 

began 

begun 

beseech 

besouglit 

besought 

blow 

blew 

blown 

bid  ("to 

order,"  "to  greet' 

")   bade 

bidden  or  bid 

bid  (at  auction) 

bid 

bidden  or  bid 

break 

broke 

broken' 

burst 

burst 

burst 

choose 

chose 

chosen 

come 

came 

come 

dive 

dived 

dived 

do 

did 

done 

drive 

drove 

driven 

eat 

ate 

eaten 

flee 

fled 

fled 

fly 

flew 

flown 

freeze 

froze 

frozen 

forget 

forgot 

forgotten 

get 

got 

got^ 

go 

went 

gone 

hang 

bung,  hauged* 

hung,  hanged 

lay  ("to 

cause  to  lie") 

laid^ 

laid 

'  "Foundations,"  pp.  78-81,  91-93. 

2  "  Broke,"  as  a  form  of  the  past  participle,  is  still  found  in  verse. 
'  "Gotten"  is  an  old  form  not  sanctioned  by  the  best  modern  usage. 
•>  "  Clothes  are  '  hung '  on  the  line ;  men  are  '  hanged '  on  the  gallows."— 
"  Foundations,"  p.  79. 


62 


PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 


Present. 

lie  ("to  recline") 

plead 

prove 

ride 

Past  Indicative. 

lay- 
pleaded 
proved 
rode 

Past  Participle. 
lain 

pleaded 
proved  ^ 
ridden 

rise  (intransitive) 
raise  (transitive) 

rose 

raised 

risen 
raised 

run 

ran 

.  run 

see 

/"to  put";  of 
set  I                   ^      . 
V,    moon,  etc. , 

sit 

saw 

the  sun,\ 

.  ,  „    set 
'  to  sink  "/ 

sat 

seen 

set 

sat 

shake 

shook 

shaken 

shoe 

shod 

shod 

show 

showed 

shown 

speak 

slay 
steal 

spoke 

slew 

stole 

spoken 

slain 

stolen 

take 

took 

taken 

throw- 

threw 

thrown 

wake  (transitive) 
write 

woke 
wrote 

waked 
written 

In  using  the  verbs  drink,  ring,  shrink,  sing,  sink,  spring, 
swim,  it  seems  better  to  confine  the  forms  in  "  a "  to  tlie 
preterite  tense,  and  the  forms  in  "  u  "  to  the  past  partici- 
ple :  as,  "  The  bell  rang  five  minutes  ago  " ;  "  Yes,  the  bell 
has  rungy  ^ 

The  following  forms  also  should  be  distinguished  : — 

Present.  Past.  Participle. 

,.   ,     /"to  get  down   from,"  "  to\     ,.   ,  ,   •,  v  i,*.  j 

alight  (  ^^^^^^  „  )  alighted         ahghted 

light  ("to  ignite,"  "to  shed  light  on")  lighted'         lighted* 

("  to  settle  down  as  a  bird  from\ 
flight,"  or  "to  come  upon  )  lighted  or  lit    lighted  or  lit 
by  chance " 

1  "'Proven'  is  borrowed  from  the  Scotch  legal  dialect." — "Founda- 
tions," p.  92.  ^  Ibid.,  p.  91. 

="  "  '  Liglited  '  seems  preferable  to  '  Ht ' ;  but  '  lit '  is  used  by  some  writers 
of  reputation." — Ibid.,  p.  92. 


x/ 


OF   VERBS  63 


EXERCISE  XXXVIII. 

Change  the  italicized  verbs  in  these  sentences  to  tlie  past  tense  •— 

1.  The  guests  begin  to  go  home. 

2.  I  beseech  you  to  liear  me. 

3.  The  wind  bloios  furiously. 

4.  The  steward  bids  nie  say  that  supper  is  ready. 

5.  IVJr.  O.  bids  forty-two  dolhxrs  for  the  picture. 

6.  George  dives  better  than  any  other  boy  in  the  crowd. 

7.  I  do  it  myself. 

8.  They  eat  their  supper  as  if  they  were  half  starved 

9.  The  enemy  fl^e  before  us. 

10.  The  door  flies  open. 

11.  The  wild  goose  flies  southward  in  the  autumn. 

12.  He  flees  at  the  smell  of  powder. 

13.  The  Susquehanna  river  overflows  its  banks. 

14.  The  workmen  lay  the  rails  for  the  track  with  great  care. 

15.  Obedient  to  the  doctor's  directions,  she  lies  down  an  houi 
every  day. 

16.  Our  cat  lies  on  the  rug  by  the  hour  watching  for  mice. 

17.  The  cows  lie  under  the  trees  in  the  meadow. 

18.  Helen  comes  in  and  lays  her  coat  on  a  chair. 

19.  The  envoys  plead  with  Caesar  earnestly. 

20.  Both  short-stop  and  pitcher  run  for  the  ball. 

21.  He  runs  up  to  Mr.  C.  as  if  to  strike  him. 

22.  I  see  two  cannon  and  a  company  of  infantry. 

23.  Harry  sees  me  coming. 

24.  The  negro  women  set  their  baskets  on  their  heads. 

25.  They  sit  in  the  third  pew  from  the  front. 

26.  Mr.  N.  always  shoes  my  pony. 

27.  The  savages  who  live  on  this  island  slay  their  captives. 

28.  The  catcher  often  throws  the  ball  to  the  second  base. 

29.  The  sun  wakes  me  early. 

30.  The  bell  rings  at  seven  o'clock. 

31.  The  stag  drinks  his  fill. 

32.  She  sings  sweetly. 

38.  Armed  men  spring  up  on  all  sides. 

34.  Tom  swims  very  well  indeed. 

35.  The  vessel  sinks  with  all  on  board. 

36.  The  colonel  and  his  staff  alight  in  front  of  the  general's  tent. 


64  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

37.  He  lights  tbe  lamp  with  a  splint. 

38.  On  tbe  trees  a  crested  peacock  lights. 


EXERCISE  XXXIX. 

Change  these  sentences  so  that  th^  italicized  verbs  will  be  either  in 
the  perfect  tense  or  in  tJie  passive  voice : — 

1.  The  sleeper  aicakes. 

2.  The  Guuls  beseech  Csesar  to  be  merciful. 

3.  The  wind  blows  my  papers  off  the  table. 

4.  Ethel  broke  her  arm. 

5.  His  wrongdoing  breaks  my  heart. 

6.  The  pressure  of  the  water  breaks  the  pipes. 

7.  They  choose  Mr.  W.  to  be  their  chairman. 

8.  The  enemy  come  in  force. 

9.  The  boj'S  dive  three  times. 

10.  John  is  driving  the  cows  out  of  tbe  corn. 

11.  The  boys  are  eating  their  supper. 

12.  An  absconding  cashier  ^ees  to  Canada. 

13.  A  Tohin  flies  to  the  vines  by  my  window. 

14.  The  Ohio  river  overfloirs  its  banks. 

15.  The  water  in  my  pitcher //"(jge. 

16.  1  forget  \\\&  navae 

17.  He  gets  along  fairly  well. 

18.  They  go  by  steamer. 

19.  The  sheriff  hangs  the  condemned  man. 

20.  The  maid  hangs  up  my  cloak. 

21.  I  lie  on  the  couch  twenty  minutes  to  rest. 

22  Tramps  lie  by  the  road  below  the  .gate. 

23  Boys  lay  traps  for  hares. 

24.  They  lay  burdens  on  me  greater  than  I  can  bear. 

25.  They  plead  their  cause  well. 

26.  This  proves  the  truth  of  my  assertion. 

27.  He  rides  alone  from  Litchfield  to  Waterbury 

28.  A  mist  rises  before  my  eye. 

29.  I  see  the  President  often. 

30.  I  set  the  lamp  on  the  table. 

31.  He  sits  b.y  the  hour  talking  politics. 

32.  Rab  shakes  the  little  dog  by  the  neck. 
83.  He  is  shoeing  my  horse. 


OF   VERBS  65 

34.  This  fact  clearly  slioics  the  prisoner's  guilt. 

35.  He  speaks  his  declamation  well. 
86.  They  slay  their  prisoners. 

37.  He  stole  my  watch. 

38.  Some  one  takes  my  hat. 

39.  He  throios  cold  water  on  my  plan. 

40.  He  writes  home. 

41.  He  wakes  me  every  night  by  his  restlessness. 

jfoTK. — If  the  teacher  thinks  that  the  class  needs  more  drill  of  this  kind, 
E-Kcrcises  XXXVIII.  and  XXXIX.  may  be  reversed,  that  is,  the  verbs  in 

XXXVIII.  may  be  clianged  to   perfect  or  passive   forms ;    the  verbs   in 

XXXIX.  to  the  past  tense.  If  this  is  done,  some  of  the  sentences  will 
have  to  be  slightly  recast.  In  the  next  exercise  drill  on  the  same  forms  is 
continued  in  a  different  way. 

EXERCISE  XL. 

Insert  the  proper  form  in  each  of  the  blanks  in  the  following  sen- 
tences :  Awake,  wake. 

1.  I  —  at  six  o'clock  this  morning  ;  I  have  —  at  about  the  same 
time  ever  since  I  came  to  school. 

3.  Lord  Byron  one  morning  —  to  find  himself  famous.  A  certain 
Mr.  Peck  —  one  day  last  week  to  find  that  the  Nation  had  made  him 
notorious. 

3.  A  few  nights  ago  Mr.  Michael  Di.xon  was  —  by  a  burglar  in 
his  bedroom. 

4.  He  —  me  an  hour  before  time. 

5.  Have  you  —  your  brother? 

6.  He  —  as  I  opened  the  door. 

Begin. 

7.  He  had  —  his  speech  before  we  arrived. 

8.  The  Senators  —  to  ask  him  questions.  Then  he  —  to  be  con- 
fused. 

Bid. 

9.  When  the  Major  passed  us  he  —  us  good-morning  very  po- 
litely. 

10.  Father  has  for —  us  to  go  there. 

Blow. 

11.  Before  the  sunset  gun  was  fired  the  bugler  —  a  strain  on  his 
bugle. 

12.  The  top-mast  of  the  sloop  was  —  away. 


66  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

Break. 

13.  Did  you  hear  that  Waldo  has  —  his  legV 

14.  The  window  was  —  by  Jack. 

Burst. 

15.  When  the  South  Sea  bubble  — ,  thousands  of  families  were 
made  poor. 

16.  The  cannon  was  —  by  an  overcharge  of  powder. 

Choose. 

17.  If  they  had  —  him,  they  would  have  —  more  wisely. 

18.  A  better  day  for  a  drive  could  not  have  been  — . 

Come. 

19.  Harry  —  running  up  to  me  and  asked  me  to  lend  him  my  cap. 

Dive. 

20.  The  loon  saw  the  flash  of  my  gun  and  — . 

21.  It  had  —  several  times  before. 

Do. 

22.  I  know  he  —  it;  for  it  could  not  have  been  —  by  any  one  else. 

23.  Ask  him  why  he  —  it. 

Drive. 

24.  He  was  —  out  of  town  by  his  indignant  neighbors. 

25.  This  stake  has  been  —  in  deep. 

Eat. 

26.  The  scraps  were  —  up  by  the  dog. 

27.  The  men  have  —  their  dinner. 

Flee,  fly,  flow. 

28.  During  the  night  the  river  had  over —  its  banks. 

29.  Benedict  Arnold  was  forced  to  —  the  country.     He  —  to  Eng- 
land. 

30.  The  birds  have  —  away. 

31.  The  guilty  man  has  — .     He  —  with  his  family  to  Mexico. 

32.  Our  meadow  was  over—  during  the  freshet. 

33.  The  yacht  —  like  a  bird  before  the  wind. 

34.  The  lotus-eaters  watched  the  gleaming  river  as  it  —  seaward. 

35.  It  had  —  through  the  same  channel  hundreds  of  years. 

36.  •  The  terrified  savages  —  to  the  mountains. 

37.  They  shall  —  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

38.  The  plantations  along  the  Mississippi  are  over — . 


OF   VERBS  67 

Forget. 

39.  Once  Sydney  Smith,  being  asked  his  name  by  a  servant,  found 
to  his  dismay  that  he  had  —  his  own  name. 

40.  Maude  is  late ;  she  must  have  —  the  time. 

Freeze. 

41.  I  thought  my  ears  were  — . 

42.  He  Avould  have  —  to  death  if  he  had  not  been  found  by  tlie 

St.  Bernard  dogs. 

Get. 

43.  They  have  —  home. 

44.  Whenever  any  milk  was  wanted  it  could  be  —  from  the  magic 
pitcher. 

45.  Grace  has  —  three  seats  for  to-night. 

46.  Franklin  asked  the  boy  where  he  had  —  the  bread. 

Go. 

47.  The  price  of  coal  has  —  up  since  last  year. 

48.  He  would  have  —  with  us  if  he  had  been  invited. 

Hang. 

49.  Judas,  overwhelmed  with  remorse,  went  and  —  himself. 

50.  In  olden  times  in  England  a  man  was  —  for  stealing  a  sheep. 

/^  Lay,  lie. 

51.  Two  men  —  imder  the  hay-stack  all  yesterday  morning.    They 
must  have  —  there  all  night. 

52.  —  down  and  rest. 

53.  He  came  in  and  —  his  books  on  his  desk. 

^  54.  After  he  —  down  he  remembered  that  he  had  left  his  pocket- 
book  — ing  by  the  open  window. 
V  55.  He  played  until  he  was  so  tired  that  he  had  to  —  down. 

56.  He  has  —  himself  at  full  length  on  the  grass. 
V57.  You  had  better  —  down  for  a  while  after  dinner. 

58.  I  have  —  down,  and  I  feel  rested. 

59.  I  —  down  an  hour  ago  to  take  a  nap. 

60.  The  scene  of  "  The  Lady  of  the  Lake  "  is  —  in  the  lake  region 
of  Scotland. 

,61.  The  tired  lambs  —  down  to  rest. 

62.  Darkness  settled  down  while  the  soldiers  —  behind  the  breast- 
works. 

63.  Had  you  not  better  —  down  a  while  ? 

64.  After  they  had  been  — ing  silent  for  an  hour,  the  command 


68  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

was  given  to  prepare  for  a  march;  afterward  the  men  —  down  again 
and  waited  for  tlie  next  order. 

65.  When  Romeo  saw  Juliet  — ing  in  the  casket,  he  —  down  hy 

her  side  and  drank  the  poison.     Wlien  Juliet  awoke,  seeing  Romeo 

— ing  beside  her  dead,  she  took  a  sword  which  —  near  and  killed 

herself. 

Plead. 

66.  He  —  tearfully  to  be  set  free,  but  his  captors  were  firm. 

67.  Yesterday  he  —  "  not  guilty." 

Prove. 

68.  It  cannot  be  —  that  Mars  is  inhabited. 

69.  He  tliinks  that  the  prisoner's  innocence  has  been  — . 

Ride. 

70.  We  had  —  only  a  short  distance  when  rain  began  to  fall. 

71.  Have  you  ever  —  on  a  bicycle? 

Rise,  raise. 

72.  She  could  not  get  her  bread  to  —'. 

73.  The  price  of  corn  has  — . 

74.  I  —  so  that  I  might  look  around. 

75.  The  students  —  him  upon  their  shoulders. 

Run. 

76.  You  look  as  if  you  had  —  all  the  way  home. 

77.  He  —  up  to  me  and  asked  what  time  it  was. 

78.  He  said  some  thief  had  taken  his  coat  and  had  —  away  with  it. 

See. 

79.  Charlie,  who  has  just  come  in,  says  he  —  two  suspicious  look- 
ing men  near  the  barn. 

80.  Yes,  I  —  him  an  hour  ago. 

81.  That  is  the  best  dog  I  ever  — . 

Set,  sit. 

82.  Please  —  still  while  I  try  to  find  her. 

83.  The  old  man  was  — ting  in  his  easy-chair. 

84.  He  —  out  for  Boston  day  before  j^esterday. 

85.  —  down  and  talk  awhile. 

86.  The  sun  — s  at  six  o'clock  twice  a  year. 

87.  I  —  the  basket  on  a  rock  while  I  went  to  the  spring. 

88.  We  —  with  our  friends  at  the  table  for  over  an  hour. 

89.  In  which  seat  did  you  — •  ? 


/ 

fl 

OF  VERBS  69 

90.  I  am  —ting  in  my  study  by  the  window. 

91.  The  cliildren  are  dreadfully  sunburnt;  yesterday  they  —  in 
the  sun  on  the  beach  all  the  morning. 

92.  Just  —  down,  till  I  call  her. 

93.  Annie,  I  have  —  the  pitcher  on  the  table. 

94.  He  has  —  there  all  the  evening. 

95.  We  were  all  — ting  round  the  fire. 

96.  I  had  to  —  up  all  night.  • 

97.  The  farmer  after  felling  the  tree  found  that  it  had  fell  (fallen) 
on  a  — ^ting  hen  that  had  laid  (lain)  her  eggs  under  its  branches. 

Shake. 

98.  All  the  restraints  of  home  had  been  —  off  long  before. 

99.  John  —  the  tree;  Lida  picked  up  the  nuts. 

100.  After  they  had  —  off  the  dust,  they  entered  the  house. 

Shoe. 

101.  Go,  ask  Mr.  N.  whether  he  has  —  the  horses  yet. 

102.  He  says  he  —  them  an  hour  ago. 

Show. 

103.  They  have  —  their  good  intention. 

104.  Has  Edward  —  you  his  yacht  ?    Yes,  he  —  it  to  me  this 
morning. 

Speak. 

105.  English  is  —  in  many  parts  of  the  world. 

106.  After  he  had  —  a  half-hour  we  had  to  leave. 

Slay. 

107.  David  —  Goliath  with  a  pebble. 

108.  A  brave  man  never  boasts  of  having  —  his  thousands. 

Steal. 

109.  He  thinks  the  horse  was  — . 

110.  Some  one  has  —  my  purse. 

Take. 

111.  I  found  upon  inquiry  that  I  had  mis —  the  house 

112.  Yesterday  she  —  me  home  with  hor. 

113.  You  look  as  if  you  had  —  root  there. 

Throw. 

114.  He  —  the  bull  to  me  and  I  —  it  back. 

115.  The  Governor's  son  was  —  from  his  pony  this  morning. 


70  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 

Write. 

116.  I  think  he  should  have  —  and  told  us. 

117.  He  —  for  the  book  two  days  ago. 

118.  Slie  has  —  for  samples. 


Drink. 

119.  The  toast  was  —  with  great  enthusiasm. 

120.  Then  they  —  to  the  health  of  the  President. 

121.  He  had  once  —  sour  wine  and  slept  in  the  secret  chamber  at 

Wolf's  Crag. 

Ring. 

122.  The  fire  bell  —  twice  last  night.  It  had  not  —  for  two 
months  before.  . 

123.  Has  the  last  bell  —  ? 

Sing. 

124.  The  choir  boys  —  the  "Hallelujah  Chorus"  from  "The  Mes- 
siah."    It  seemed  to  me  that  they  had  never  —  so  well. 

Sink. 

125.  The  steamer  struck  an  iceberg  and  —  wnth  all  on  board. 

126.  They  have  —  two  wells,  but  have  got  (gotten)  no  water. 

Spring. 

127.  The  grass  —  up  like  magic  last  night. 

128.  Homer  describes  a  race  of  men  who  —  from  the  gods. 

Swim. 

129.  I  once  —  three-quarters  of  a  mile  without  stopping. 

130.  Having  —  the  river,  the  fugitives  plunged  into  the  forest. 

EXERCISE  XLI. 

Illustrate  by  original  sentences  the  projyer  use  of  tJie  past  indicative 
and  the  past  participle  of  each  of  the  following  verbs,  thiis:  A  swallow 
FLEW  into  my  room,  but  before  I  recovered  from  my  surprise  it  had 
FLOWN  out  again.     Oive  to  tJie  sentences  variety : — 

Awake,  beat,  begin,  beseech,  blow,  bid  (to  order),  bid  (to  offer), 
break,  burst,  choose,  come,  dive,  do,  drive,  eat,  flee,  fly,  flow,  forget, 
freeze,  get,  go,  hang,  lay,  lie  (to  recline),  plead,  prove,  ride,  rise,  run, 
see,  set,  sit,  shake,  shoe,  show,  speak,  slay,  steal,  take,  throw,  wake, 
write. 


OF   VERBS  71 

Contractions.' — Some  writers  hold  that  in  careful  writing 
contracted  forms  should  be  avoided ;  but  all  are  agreed 
that  in  conversation  some  contractions,  if  correctly  used, 
are  natural  and  proper.  The  conversation  of  a  person  who 
never  said  "can't"  for  "can  not,"  "don't"  for  "do  not," 
or  "  doesn't "  for  "  does  not,"  would  seem  stiff.  Care  should, 
however,  be  taken  not  to  use  plural  contractions  for  sin- 
gular, or  singular  for  plural.  DorCt  is  a  contraction  of  "  do 
not,"  doesn't  of  "  does  not."  The  proper  contraction  of 
"is  not"  is  ishH ;  of  "are  not,"  aren't.  Daresn't,  if  used 
at  all,  should  be  used  only  when  "  dares  not "  might  be 
substituted.     AinH  is  a  gross  vulgarism. 

EXERCISE  XLII. 

Insert  the  proper  contraction  {doesn't,  don't)  in  each  of  the  blank 
places : — 

1.  It  —  seem  possible. 

2.  The  captain  —  know  what  it  is  to  be  afraid. 

3.  John  says  he  —  understand  the  pioblem  on  page  266. 

4.  Why  —  she  come  ? 

5_  —  it  seem  strange  that  they  —  come  ? 

6.  Waldo  —  improve  in  penmanship  as  fast  as  he  should.. 

7.  It  —  looli  like  pure  water. 

8.  Why  —  be  answer  ? 

9.  The  boy  will  fail,  but  he  —  seem  to  care  much. 

May  (might)  or  can  (eould).^— Caw  and  could,  which  de- 
note "  ability  "  or  "  possibility,"  are  often  wrongly  used  in 
the  place  of  may  and  might,  which  are  the  proper  words 
to  denote  "permission." 

EXERCISE  XLIII. 

Mil  the  blanks  with  the  right  words  :— 
1.  —  I  leave  the  room  ? 

2_  You  ^—  go  to  the  concert,  but  I  doubt  whether  you  —  get  a  seat. 
3_  —  we  by  searching  find  out  God  ? 

'  "  Foundations,"  pp.  81-82.  ^  ibj^^  pp  82_83. 


72  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN  ENGLISH 

4.  —  I  have  some  more  lemonade  ? 

5.  —  I  have  another  piece  of  cake  ? 

6.  —  you  tell  me  which  is  Mr.  Ames's  house  ? 

7.  Mother  says  I  —  invite  the  girls  to  tea. 

8.  A  man  who  knows  himself  to  be  right  —  afford  to  await  the 
judgment  of  posterity. 

9.  —  1  write  at  your  desk  ? 

10.  You  —  come  to  see  me  whenever  you  —  find  time. 

11.  They  asked  whether  they  —  have  a  holiday. 

12.  They  were  wondering  whether  they  —  be  recognized  in  their 
disguises. 

13.  —  I  have  the  use  of  your  sled? 

14.  —  I  trouble  you  to  get  me  a  glass  of  water  ? 

Will  or  shall.' — Some  gram  mar  i  an  s  teach  that  the  future 
tense  of  " go "  is  :  "I  shall  oi'  will  go,"  "  You  shall  or  tcill 
go,"  "  He  shall  or  will  go,"  etc.  The  fact  seems  to  be  that 
there  is  only  one  form  for  the  future ;  the  other  form, 
often  given  as  an  alternative,  expresses  something  more 
than  futurity,  and  is  somewhat  like  a  distinct  mode. 

A  help  to  the  j^roper  use  of  shall  and  imll  is  found  in  the 
original  meaning  of  the  words.  At  first  shall  and  will  were 
notional  verbs,^  shall  meaning  "  to  owe,"  "  to  be  obliged," 
and  will  meaning  "  to  wish  :"  as,  "  That  faith  I  shall  (owe) 
to  God."  ^  At  present  shall  and  will  often  retain  some  trace 
of  their  original  meaning,  will  implying  a  reference  to  the 
will  of  the  subject,  and  shall  implying  obligation  or  com- 
pulsion :  as,  "  I  will  follow  him  to  the  end  ;"  "  He  shall  be 
brought  to  justice  ;"  sometimes  they  are  mere  auxiliaries, 
with  no  trace  of  their  original  meaning:  as,  "It  will  ram 
to-day  ;"  "  I  shall  be  glad." 

'  "Foundations,"  pp.  83-88. 

*  By  "  notional  verb  "  is  meant  a  verb  that  has  some  distinct  idea  ornotion 
of  its  own :  as,  "  I  have  a  ball."  Here  "  have  "  expresses  the  idea  of  posses- 
sion. In  the  sentence  "I  kavA  lost  my  ball,"  the  word  "have"  does  not 
express  a  distinct  idea  ;  it  only  helps  to  form  a  tense  of  the  verb  "  lose  "  : 
that  is,  it  is  not  notional,  but  auxiliary.  '  Chaucer. 


OF   VERBS  .  73 

For  practical  purposes  the  distinction  between  shall  and 
will  may  be  exhibited  as  follows : — 

I.    IN    INDEPENDENT    SENTENCES. 

Simple  Futurity.  Volition, 

implying  that  the  matter  is  within 
the  control  of  the  speaker. 

I  (we)  sJiall     ^  I  (we)  will  ) 

jonwilP        >  go.  J ou  sJiall^  >  go. 

he  (they)  will  J  he  (they)  sIiuU  '■'  ) 

II.    IN    DEPENDENT    SENTENCES. 

In  noun  clauses  introduced  by  "that,"  expressed  or  un- 
derstood, if  the  noun  clause  and  the  principal  clause  have 
different  subjects,  the  distinction  between  shall  and  will  is 
the  same  as  in  independent  sentences  :  as, 

My  sister  says  (that)  Dorotliy  will  be  glad  to  go  with  us.  (Futur- 
ity ;  the  same  as,  "  Dorothy  will  be  glad  to  go  with  us.") 

My  sister  says  (that)  Dorothy  shall  not  be  left  behind.  (Volition ; 
the  same  as,  "  Dorothy  shall  not  be  left  behind.") 

In  all  other  dependent  clauses,  shall  is  in  all  persons  the 
proper  auxiliary  to  express  simple  futurity  ;  will  in  all  per- 
sons implies  an  exercise  of  will  on  the  part  of  the  subject 
of  the  clause  :  as, 

Dorothy  says  (that)  she  shall  (futurity)  be  able  to  go  with  us. 

She  says  (that)  she  inll  (volition)  meet  us  at  the  corner. 

If  Bessie  will  come  (volition),  we  will  try  to  make  her  visit  pleasant. 

When  He  shall  appear  (futurity)  we  shall  be  like  Him. 

Remark. — It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  in  noun  clauses  introduced  by  "  that " 
— clauses  which  are  really  indirect  quotations — the  same  auxiliary  is  gener- 
ally used  that  would  be  used  were  the  quotation  in  the  direct  form  :  as,  "  My 
sister  says,  'Dorothy  luiU  be  glad  to  go  with  you,'"  "My  sister  says  that 
Dorothy  will  be  glad  to  go  with  us ;"  "  Dorothy  says,  '  I  shall  be  glad  to  go 
with  you,' "  "  Dorothy  says  that  she  shall  be  glad  to  go  with  us."  This  re- 
mark, however,  is  not  an  adequate  statement  of  the  best  usage,  for  it  is  not 
true  of  such  sentences  as  21,  p.  '76,  and  8,  22,  p.  'ZT. 

'  Sometimes  used  in  a  courteous  command  to  a  subordinate  oflScer. 

*  Also  used  in  speaking  of  what  is  destined  to  take  place,  or  of  what  is 
willed  by  some  ruling  power. 
4 


74  '     PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

III.    IN    QUESTIONS. 

In  the  Jirst  perso?i  "  will  "  is  never  proper,  except  when  it 
repeats  a  question  asked  by  another  person.  "  Will  I  go?" 
would  mean,  "Is  it  my  intention  to  go?" — a  useless  ques- 
tion, since  the  speaker  must  know  his  own  will  without 
asking. 

In  the  second  and  third  persons  the  auxiliary  which  is 
expected  in  the  answer  should  be  used. 

Will  you  dine  with  me  to-morrow  ?    I  will.     (Volition.) 
Shall  you  be  glad  to  come  ?    I  shall.     (Futurity.) 
Will  your  brother  be  there,  too  ?    He  will.     (Futurity.) 

Would  or  should.' — "Shoidd  and  would  follow  the  same 
rules  as  shall  and  loill,  but  they  have  in  addition  certain 
meanings  peculiarly  their  own. 

^^  Should  is  sometimes  used  in  its  original  sense  of 
'  ought,'  as  in  '  You  should  not  do  that.' 

"Woidd  is  sometimes  used  to  signify  habitual  action,  as 
in  '  The  'Squire  would  sometimes  fall  asleep  in  the  most 
pathetic  part  of  my  sermon  ;'  and  to  express  a  wash,  as, 
'  Would  God  I  had  died  for  thee,  O  Absalom,  my  son,  my 
son  !' " ' 

EXERCISE  XLIV. 

Distinguish  in  meaning  between  tJie  following  sentences : — 

1.  I  will  (shall)  meet  you  iu  the  village. 

2.  I  will  (shall)  be  obeyed. 

3.  Will  he  come  ?    Shall  he  come  ? 

4.  You  will  (shall)  repent  of  this. 

5.  He  will  (shall)  not  see  me. 

6.  You  will  (shall)  have  a  new  suit  to-morrow. 

7.  Shall  (will)  you  stay  at  Ijonie  to-night  ? 

8.  We  will  (shall)  not  be  left  alone. 

9.  She  will  (shall)  have  a  reward  if  she  continues  faithful. 

»  "Foundations,"  pp.  88-90. 

^  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  63. 


OF   VERBS  75 

10.  He  would  (should)  start  in  spite  of  the  danger. 

11.  Shall  (will)  you  be  a  candidate  ? 

12.  He  said  he  would  (should)  not  go. 

13.  I  shall  (will)  never  see  him  again. 

14.  You  will  (shall)  know  to-morrow  the  result  of  the  examina- 
tion. 

15.  Will  (shall)  he  who  fails  be  allowed  to  try  again? 

16.  Will  (shall)  the  admission  fee  be  twenty -five  or  fifty  cents? 

17.  He  thought  there  would  (should)  be  a  charge 

18.  I  will  (shall)  be  the  last  to  go 

19.  He  thought  1  would  (should)  wait. 

20.  He  says  that  she  will  (shidl)  not  eat  watermelon. 

21.  If  she  disobeyed  she  would  (should)  be  punished. 

23.  Do  you  thinl;  I  should  (would)  go  under  the  circumstances? 

23.  If  they  would  (should)  come,  the  danger  would  be  averted, 

24.  If  I  would  (should)  say  so,  he  would  dislike  me 

25.  He  says  he  will  (shall)  not  come,  since  she  forgot  him  itl  first. 

26.  We  will  (shall)  come  as  soon  as  we  can 

27.  I  will  (shall)  not  endure  his  rudeness. 

28.  John  says  he  will  (shall)  stay  to  see  the  game. 

EXERCISE  XLV. 

Insert  the  proper  auxiliary  (will,  shall)  in  each  blank  in  the  follow- 
ing sente?ices : — 
\     1.  I  —  be  drowned ;  nobody  —  help  me, 

2.  You  —  have  a  wet  day  for  your  journey. 

3.  He  says  he  —  not  be  able  to  come. 

4.  We  —  not  soon  forget  this  picnic.  ■ 

5    He  —  repent  of  his  folly  when  it  is  too  late. 

6.  We  —  be  pleased  to  have  you  call. 

7.  The  gathering  —  be  informal;  therefore  I  —  not  need  my 
dress  suit. 

8.  We  —  have  occasion  to  test  the  wires  tonight 
9    I  —  be  obliged  to  you  for  your  autograph. 

10.  He  —  be  obliged  to  you. 

11.  The  managers  have  agreed  that  the  race  —  be  rowed  again, 

12.  Do  you  think  we  —  have  rain  ? 

13.  If  the  fire  is  not  put  out  soon,  we  —  have  the  whole  town  to 
rebuild. 


76  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 

14.  Do  uot  fear ;  we  —  be  all  right. 

15.  A  prize  is  offered  to  whoever  —  guess  this  conundrum. 

16.  We  • —  find  ourselves  much  mistaken. 

17.  The  time  is  coming  when  we  —  have  to  go  elsewhere  for  lum- 
ber. 

18.  Are  you  not  afraid  that  you  —  miss  the  train  ? 

19.  Yes,  I  fear  that  I  —  miss  the  train. 

20.  He  is  afraid  that  he  —  miss  the  train. 

21.  They  say  I  —  find  picture-galleries  in  every  city, 

22.  Think  what  a  happy  life  we  —  live. 

23.  If  you  will  call  for  me,  I  —  be  glad  to  go  with  you. 

24.  I  —  be  sixteen  in  May. 

25.  John  thinks  he  —  be  sick  to-morrow. 

26.  He  says  James  —  be  sick  to-morrow. 

27.  Howard  thinks  he  —  piobably  live  to  old  age. 

28.  Howard  thinks  his  brother  —  probably  live  to  old  age. 

29.  He  tells  me  that  he  —  be  ten  next  month. 

30.  We  —  be  all  right  if  Congress  will  (shall)  adjourn  without 
tampering  with  the  tariff. 

31.  If  we  examine  the  falling  snow,  we  —  find  that  each  flake  con- 
sists of  particles  of  ice. 

32.  He  has  resolved  that  he  —  not  answer  the  letter. 

33.  She  has  resolved  that  her  daughter  —  not  answer  his  letter. 

34.  I  —  feel  greatly  obliged  if  you  —  tell  me. 

35.  When  He  —  appear  we  —  be  like  Him. 

36.  I  hope  we  —  be  in  time  to  get  good  seats. 

37.  When  —  I  come  to  get  my  paper  ? 

38.  —  I  put  more  coal  on  the  fire  ? 
89.  —  you  be  sorry  to  leave  Boston  ? 

40.  —  you  be  elected  ? 

41.  When  —  we  three  meet  again  ? 
43.  —  I  fetch  a  chair  for  you  ? 

43.  —  you  be  surprised  to  hear  it  ? 

44.  —  you  do  me  the  favor  to  reply  by  return  mail  ? 

45.  —  we  have  time  to  get  our  tickets  ? 

46.  —  you  have  time  to  get  your  ticket  ? 
47   —  he  have  time  to  get  his  ticket  ? 

48.  —  there  be  time  to  get  our  tickets  ? 

49.  —  you  be  at  leisure  after  dinner  ? 

50.  —  I  find  you  at  home  ? 


OF   VERBS  77 

51.  When  —  we  have  peace  ? 

52.  —  lie  find  gold  there  ?    —  we  find  any  ? 

53.  —  we  heiir  a  good  lecture  if  we  go  ? 

54.  If  I  fail  on  this  examination,  —  I  be  allowed  to  take  it  over 
again  ? 

EXERCISE  XLVI. 

Insert  the  proper  auxiliary  {would,  should)  in  each  UanTc  in  the  fol- 
lowing sentences : — 

1.  I  —  like  to  know  who  he  is. 

2.  We  —  prefer  to  go  by  boat  from  Rhinebeck. 

3.  He  —  prefer  to  go  by  boat  from  Poughkeepsie. 

4.  He  —  be  sorry  to  miss  his  train. 

5.  I  —  be  sorry  to  lose  this  umbrella. 

6.  I  —  feel  hurt  if  he  —  abuse  my  hospitality  in  that  way. 

7.  Were  I  to  go,  I  —  get  tired. 

8.  He  ought  to  have  known  that  we  —  be  ruined. 

9.  I  —  think  he  —  know  they  are  fooling  him. 

10.  The  head-master  decided  that  you  —  be  promoted. 

11.  Ralph  said  he  —  (volition)  not  stay  at  the  hotel  if  it  were 
not  better  kept. 

12.  Though  I  —  die  for  it,  yet  —  I  do  it. 

13.  I  was  afraid  she  —  not  come. 

14.  If  I  knew  where  she  is,  I  —  write  to  her. 

15.  We  —  have  been  paid,  if  the  treasurer  had  been  at  home. 

16.  They  —  have  been  paid,  if  the  treasurer  had  been  at  home. 

17.  I  said  nothing  lest  she  —  feel  hurt. 

18.  I  asked  her  whether  she  —  come  again. 

19.  He  promised  that  it  —  not  occur  again. 

20.  If  it  —  rain,  we  would  not  start. 

21.  Queen  Isabella  offered  a  reward  to  the  first  man  who  —  dis- 
cover land. 

22.  Cornelia  was  afraid  that  we  —  miss  the  train. 

23.  I  expected  that  they  —  accept  the  proposal. 

24.  He  said  Miss  Anderson  —  not  return  to  the  stage. 

25.  Franklin  resolved  that  Collins  —  row.     Collins  said  that  he  — 
not  row,  but  that  Franklin  —  row  in  his  place. 

26.  At  first  I  did  not  think  I  —  enjoy  seeing  the  World's  Fair. 

27.  What  —  we  do  without  our  friends  ? 

28.  If  he  —  come  to-day,  would  (should)  you  be  ready  ? 


78  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

Questions  of  Tense.' — The  tense  of  a  verb  should  cor- 
rectly express  the  time  referred  to.  Most  errors  in  the  use 
of  tenses  are  violations  of  some  one  of  the  following  prin- 
ciples, vv^hich  are  established  by  good  usage  : — 

1.  Principal  verbs  referring  to  the  same  time  should  be 
in  the  same  tense. 

2.  The  perfect  indicative  represents  something  as  now 
completed — as  begun  in  the  past  but  continuing  till  the 
present,  at  least  in  its  consequences  :  as,  "  I  have  lost  my 
book"  (so  that  now  I  do  not  have  it);  "This  house  has 
stood  for  ninety  years "  (it  is  still  standing) ;  "  Bishop 
Brooks  has  died,  but  he  has  left  us  his  example  "  (he  is  not 
now  among  us,  but  we  have  his  example). 

3.  The  tense  of  the  verb  in  a  dependent  clause  varies 
with  the  tense  of  the  principal  verb:''  as, 

I  know  he  will  come. 

I  hnew  lie  loould  come. 

I  have  taken  the  first  train,  that  I  may  arrive  early. 

I  had  taken  the  first  train,  that  I  might  arrive  early. 

Blanche  tcill  be  frightened  if  she  sees  the  bat. 

Blanche  would  be  frightened  if  she  saw  the  bat. 

Blanche  would  have  been  frightened  if  she  had  seen  the  bat. 

Present  facts  and  unchangeable  truths,  however,  should 
be  expressed  in  the  present  tense,  regardless  of  the  tense 
of  the  principal  verb;  as,  "What  did  you  say  his  name 

is'r 

4.  '^i^he  perfect  infinitive  is  properly  used  to  denote  action 
which  is  completed  at  the  time  denoted  by  the  principal 
verb :  as,  "  I  am  glad  to  have  seen  Niagara  Falls ;"  "  He 
felt  sorry  to  have  hurt  your  feelings." 

Exception.  —  Ought,  must,  need,  and  should  (in  the  sense  of  "  ought ") 
have  no  distinctive  form  to  denote  past  time ;    with  these  verbs  present 

»  "Foundations,"  pp.  93-98. 

^  This  is  sometimes  called  the  "  Law  of  the  Sequence  of  Tenses." 


OF   VERBS  79 

time  is  denoted  by  putting  tlie  complementary  infinitive  in  the  present 
tense,  past  time  is  denoted  by  putting  the  complementary  infinitive  in  the 
perfect  tense;  as,  "  You  ought  to  yo,"  "  You  ought  to  have  gone;"  "He 
should  be  careful,"  "  He  should  have  been  careful."  A  similar  change  from 
the  present  to  the  perfect  infinitive  is  found  after  could  and  might  in  some 
of  their  uses:  as,  "I  could  yo,"  "I  could  have  gone;"  "You  might  an- 
swer"  "  You  might  have  answered." 

EXERCISE  XLVII. 

DistinguisJi  in  meaning  between  tlie  following : — 

1.  The  house  stood  (has  stood)  twenty  years. 

2.  The  messenger  came  (has  come). 

3.  He  should  stay  (have  stayed). 

4.  It  rained  (has  rained)  for  two  weeks. 

5.  He  was  believed  to  live  (to  have  lived)  a  happy  life. 

6.  He  ought  to  go  (to  have  gone). 

7.  He  deposited  (has  deposited)  the  money  in  bank. 

8.  I  am  sure  I  could  go  (have  gone)  alone. 

9.  Yesterday  at  three  o'clock  I  completed  (had  completed)  my 
work. 

10.  He  must  be  (have  been)  weary, 

11.  He  appeared  to  be  (have  been)  crying. 

12.  He  need  not  go.     He  need  not  have  gone, 

13.  The  horse  jumped  (had  jumped)  into  the  field,  and  began  (had 
begun)  to  eat  the  corn. 

14.  Achilles  is  said  to  be  (have  been)  buried  at  the  foot  of  this  hill. 

EXERCISE  XLVIII. 

Which  of  the  italicized  forms  is  right  ? — 

1.  Where  did  you  say  Pike's  Peak  is  {was)  ? 

2.  I  intended  to  do  {to  have  done)  it  yesterday. 

3.  Atlas  is  {was)  a  mythical  giant  who  was  supposed  to  hold  {to 
have  held)  the  sky  on  his  shoulders. 

4.  I  do  not  think  that  any  one  would  say  that  winter  is  {was) 
preferable  to  spring. 

5.  Cadmus  was  supposed  to  build  {to  have  built)  Thebes. 

6.  Your  father  grieves  to  hear  {to  have  heard)  of  your  bad  conduct. 

7.  Would  he  have  been  willing  to  go  {to  have  gone)  with  you  ? 

8.  I  meant  to  icrite  {to  have  written)  yesterday. 

9.  He  tried  to  learn  how  far  it  is  {was)  from  New  York  to  Syracuse. 


80  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

10.  He  hardly  knew  that  two  and  two  make  {made)  four. 

11.  His  experience  proved  that  there  is  (was)  many  a  sUp  'twixt 
the  cup  and  the  lip. 

12.  Carrie  knew  that  water  is  {was)  composed  of  two  gases. 

13.  It  was  their  duty  to  prevent  {to  have  prevented)  this  outrage. 

14.  He  was  reported  to  rescue  {to  have  rescued)  the  drowning  man. 

15.  It  would  have  been  unkind  to  refuse  {to  have  refused)  to  lielp  {to 
have  helped)  him. 

16.  It  would  not  have  been  difHcult  to  prevent  {to  have  prevented) 
the  disaster. 

17.  Where  did  you  say  Gettysburg  is  {was)  ? 

18.  It  was  as  true  as  that  he  is  {was)  listening  to  me  when  I  said  it, 

19.  It  was  harder  than  I  expected  it  would  be  {have  been) 

20.  Homer  is  supposed  to  be  {to  have  been)  born  about  850  B.C. 

21.  When  I  came  I  intended  to  buy  {to  have  bought)  ail  Paris. 

22.  Washington  is  known  to  have  {to  have  had)  many  narrow  es- 
capes. 

23.  If  you  would  only  wait,  your  success  will  {would)  be  certain. 

24.  Is  he  very  sick  ?    I  should  say  he  is  {was). 

25.  Who  first  asserted  that  virtue  is  {was)  its  own  reward  ? 

26.  We  have  done  no  more  than  it  was  our  duty  to  do  {to  have 
done). 

27.  What  building  is  {was)  that  which  we  just  passed  ? 

28.  He  impressed  on  us  the  trutli  that  honesty  is  {was)  the  best 
policy. 

29.  He  expected  to  see  {to  Jiave  seen)  you  to-morrow. 

30.  He  expected  to  xoin  {to  have  won)  the  suit,  and  was  astonished 
at  the  decision  of  the  court. 

31.  The  result  of  such  constant  reading  by  poor  light  would  have 
been  to  destroy  {to  have  destroyed)  his  sight. 

32.  It  would  have  given  me  great  satisfaction  to  relieve  {to  have  re- 
lieved) him  from  his  distress. 

33.  Who  would  have  thought  it  possible  to  receive  {to  have  received) 
a  reply  from  India  so  soon  ? 

34.  It  would  have  been  better  to  wait  {to  have  waited). 

55.  I  should  like  to  hear  {to  have  heard)  the  speeches  of  Hayne  and 
Webster. 

36.  The  furniture  was  to  be  {to  have  been)  sold  at  auction. 

37.  It  was  a  pity  I  was  the  only  child,  for  my  mother  had  fond- 
ness of  heart  enough  to  spoil  {to  have  spoiled)  a  dozen  children. 


OF  VERBS  J^    ^  ,   \y^  31 

38.  I  am  ■writing  to  him  so  that  he  may  {niigJit)  Ue  ready  for  us. 

39.  I  have  wi'itlen  to  hini  so  that  he  may  (might)  be  ready  for  us. 

40.  I  wrote  to  him  so  that  he  may  (might)  be  ready  for  us. 

EXERCISE  XLIX. 

Examine  the  tenses  in  the  following  sentences,  explain  any  errors 
which  you  find,  a7id  correct  them : — 

1.  I  knew  him  since  boyhood. 

2.  It  was  a  superstition  among  the  Mexicans  that  a  bullet  will  not 
kill  a  man  unless  it  has  his  name  stamped  on  it. 

3.  Being  absent  from  the  last  recitation,  1  am  unable  to  write  on 
the  subject  assigned  this  morning. 

4.  Soon  after  Oliver  reached  home  a  servant  announces  the  pres- 
ence of  Charles. 

5.  "  ' Got  any  luck  ?'  says  I.  'No,'  says  he.  '  Well,'  says  I,  ' I've 
got  the  finest  siring  of  trout  ever  was  seen.'" 

6.  Be  virtuous  and  you  would  be  happy. 

7.  Stackhouse  believed  that  he  solved  the  problem  he  had  so  long 
studied  over,  and  yesterday  afternoon  he  started  from  his  house.  No. 
2446  North  Tenth  Street,  to  make  a  test. 

8.  This  beautiful  little  bird  that  appears  to  the  king  and  tries  to 
warn  him,  was  not  an  ordinary  bird. 

9.  Next  September  I  shall  be  at  school  three  years, 

10.  I  know  very  little  about  the  "Arabian  Nights."  for  I  have 
never  read  any  of  the  stories  before  I  came  to  this  school. 

11.  If  he  received  your  instructions  he  would  have  obeyed  them. 

12.  Before  he  was  going  to  have  the  sign  pi'inted  he  submitted  it 
to  his  friends  for  corrections. 

13.  The  Balloon  Society  recently  invited  Mr.  Gould  to  read  befoie 
ihem  a  paper  on  yachting.  Mr.  Gould,  in  reply,  has  expressed 
regret  that  the  shortness  of  his  visit  will  prevent  him  from  accepting 
the  invitation. 

14.  I  should  be  obliged  to  him  if  he  will  gratify  me  in  that  respect. 

15.  While  he  was  in  England  the  British  had  given  him  very  hon- 
orable positions  in  America  in  order  to  have  his  help  if  they  had  any 
trouble  with  the  colonies. 

16.  Up  and  down  the  engines  pounded.  It  is  a  good  twenty-one 
knots  now,  and  the  upper  deck  abaft  the  chart-house  began  rapidly 
to  fill. 

4* 


82  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

17.  Ml",  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  regret  that  a  previous  engagement  will 
prevent  them  from  accepting  Mrs.  Black's  kind  invitation  for  Thurs- 
day. 

18.  Mr.  Rockwell  will  accept  with  pleasure  the  invitation  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pembroke  for  Tuesday  evening,  December  3d. 

19.  1  am  sure  that  he  has  been  there  and  did  what  was  required 
of  him. 

20.  He  might  probably  have  been  desirous,  in  the  first  place,  to 
have  dried  his  clothes  and  refreshed  himself. 

21.  He  could  not  have  failed  to  have  aroused  suspicion. 

22.  "When,  on  the  return  of  Dr.  Primrose's  son  Moses  from  the 
Fair,  the  family  had  discovered  how  he  had  been  cheated,  we  are 
shown  an  admirable  picture  of  home  life. 

23.  Apart  from  his  love,  Orlando  was  also  a  noble  youth.  When 
old  Adam,  at  last  overcome  by  fatigue,  sank  in  the  footsteps  of  Or- 
lando, Orlando  tries  to  encourage  and  assist  him. 

24.  The  increase  in  tonnage  was  not  so  rapid  as  it  would  have 
been  were  it  not  for  the  Act  of  1790. 

Indicative  or  Subjunetive.'— The  modern  tendency  to 
drop  the  subjunctive  is  unfortunate,  for  the  distinction  be- 
tween the  subjunctive  and  the  indicative  is  too  useful  to  be 
abandoned. **  A  knowledge  of  the  difference  between  these 
modes  in  English  is  especially  important  in  view  of  the 
difficulty  which  pupils  complain  of  in  mastering  the  uses 
of  the  Latin  subjunctive  or  the  Greek  subjunctive  and  op- 
tative.' For  these  reasons  more  space  is  given  to  the  sub- 
junctive in  this  book  than  would  be  called  for  by  a  mere 
discussion  of  modern  English  usage. 

'  "Foundations,"  pp.  98-101. 

2  "Some  people  seem  to  think  that  the  subjunctive  mood  is  as  good  as 
lost,  that  it  is  doomed,  and  tliat  its  retention  is  hopeless.  If  its  function 
were  generally  appreciated,  it  might  even  now  be  saved.  ...  If  we  lose  the 
Subjunctive  Verb,  it  will  certainly  be  a  grievous  impoverishment  to  our 
literary  language,  were  it  only  for  its  value  in  giving  variation  to  diction — 
and  I  make  bold  to  assert  that  the  writer  who  helps  to  keep  it  up  deserves 
public  gratitude." — John  Earle:  English  Prose,  its  Elements,  History,  and 
Usage,  p.  172. 

'  "  The  lecturer  also  put  in  a  plea  for  more  vitality  in  the  teaching  of 


OF   VERBS  83 

Forms  of  the  Subjunctive. — In  form  the  English  subjunc- 
tive differs  from  the  indicative  in  several  ways  : — 

1.  In  the  sinojle  case  of  the  verb  to  be  there  are  distinct 
forms  for  the  present  and  past  tenses,  namely  : — 

Present.  Past. 

1,        we    ^  I  were,        we     \ 

thou,  you  [■  be.  thou  wert,  you  i  were. 

he,       they )  he  were,       they  ) 

Examples. — "See  that  my  room  be^  got  ready  at  once."  "I  will  work 
you  a  banner  if  you  6e'  victorious."  "The  headsman  feels  if  the  axe  fee' 
sharp."  "Take  care  lest  you  he  deceived."  "Judge  not  that  ye  be  not 
judged."  "I  will  beard  them,  though  they  6e'  more  fanged  than  wolves  and 
bears."  "  If  I  ivere  you,  I  would  not  say  that."  "  If  you  ivere  more  studi- 
ous, you  would  rank  high."     "  Would  that  my  parents  were  here!" 

2.  In  other  verbs  the  subjunctive  form  is  distinguishable 
from  the  indicative  in  the  second  and  third  persons  singu- 
lar by  the  absence  of  the  personal  endings  -th,  -s,  or  -st:  as, 

Present  Indicative :  I  have,  thou  hast,  he  has  (hath). 
Subjunctive :  I  have,  thou  have,  he  have. 
Past  Indicative:  I  had,  thou  hadst,  he  had. 
Subjunctive:  I  had,  thou  had,  he  had. 

Present  Indicative :  I  come,  thou  comest,  he  comes  (cometh) 
SubjuTictive :  I  come,  thou  come,  he  come. 
Past  Indicative:  I  came,  thou  camest,  he  came. 
Subjunctive :  I  came,  thou  came,  he  came. 

English,  which  ought  to  be  made  the  gate  to  other  languages.  Many  of  the 
difficult  questions  of  Latin  syntax  might  be  examined  in  the  field  of  Eng- 
lish, if  only  we  were  careful  to  treat  our  English  critically.  Whereas  most 
grammars  cut  the  ground  from  under  them  by  denying  the  existence  of  a 
Subjunctive  Mood.  Until  teachers  recognize  generally  that,  in  such  a  sen- 
tence as  '  If  he  had  done  it,  it  had  been  better,'  we  have  a  Subjunctive  in 
both  clauses,  and  a  sentence  essentially  different  from  '  If  he  had  loved  her 
before,  he  now  adored  her,'  English  must  forfeit  half  its  value,  both  as  a 
mental  discipline  and  as  a  means  of  approach  to  Latin,  Greek,  and  Ger- 
man."— From  a  report  of  a  Lecture  by  Prof.  Sonnenschein,  of  the  Mason 
College,  quoted  in  Earle's  "English  Prose,"  p.  55. 

'  In  such  sentences  the  mdicative  would  be,  according  to  modern  usage, 
correct,  and  it  is  more  common. 


84  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES   IN  ENGIJSII 

Examples. — "  Long  live  the  king  !"  "  If  thou  go,  see  th.-it  thou  offend 
not."  "It  is  better  he  die."  "Though  he  slai/  me,  yet  will  I  trust  him." 
"  Unless  he  behave^  better,  he  will  be  punished."  "  If  I  will  that  he  tarry^ 
till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee?"  "Govern  well  thy  appetite,  lest  sin  sur- 
prise thee."  "If  my  sister  saw  this  snake,  she  would  be  fiightened."  "I 
wish  I  knew  where  Charles  is." 

The  perfect  and  pluperfect  subjunctives  are  of  course 
formed  by  means  of  the  subjunctive  present  and  past  tenses 
of  "have." 

3.  Very  often,  instead  of  the  simple  subjunctive  forms, 
we  use  auxiliary  verbs — may  (past,  might)  and  tvoulcl  or 
should — to  express  the  subjunctive  idea.  "May"  ("might") 
is  common  as  an  equivalent  for  the  subjunctive  mode  in 
clauses  denoting  a  purpose,  a  wish,  a  hope,  or  a  fear  :  as, 
"  Bring  him  the  book,  that  he  may  read  to  us  ;"  "  May  he 
rest  in  peace  ;"  "I  hope  you  7nay  succeed f'^  "They  Avere 
afraid  we  might  lose  the  way."  "Would"  and  "should" 
are  common  substitutes  for  all  tenses  of  the  subjunctive  : 
as,  "  Walk  carefully  lest  you  (stumble)  should  stumble  f^ 
"  If  he  (come)  should  come,  he  will  find  me  at  home  ;"  "  It 
(were)  would  he  better  if  he  (went)  should  go  alone  ;"  "If 
my  sister  had  seen  this  mouse,  she  (had  been)  woidd  have 
been  frightened."  In  these  sentences  either  the  form  in 
parenthesis  or  the  italicized  form  is  correct,  though  the  lat- 
ter is  more  common. 

Note. — It  does  not  follow  that  the  verbs  "  may,"  "  would,"  and  "  should  " 
always  express  the  subjunctive  idea.  In  the  following  sentences,  fur  in- 
stance, they  express  the  indicative  idea:  "You  may  {i.e.,  are  permitted  to) 
stay  an  hour;"  "You  should  {i.e.,  ought  to)  be  punctual;"  "Edith  would 
not  (i.e.,  was  unwilling  to)  come."  In  sucli  sentences  "may,"  "should," 
and  "  would  "  make  simple  statements  of  fact. 

Uses  of  the  Subjunctive. — The  indicative  form  is  used 
in  expressing  a  fact  or  what  is  assumed  to  be  a  fact :  as 
"He  thinks  he  is  ill ;"  the  subjunctive  form  indicates  some 

*  In  such  sentences  the  indicative  would  be,  according  to  modern  usa'^e 
correct,  and  it  is  more  common. 


OF  VERBS  85 

uncertainty  or  doubt  in  the  speaker's  mind :  as,  "  Whether 
it  rain  or  not,  I  Avill  go." 

The  subjunctive  idea  occurs  most  frequently,  perhaps,  in 
conditional  sente7ices.  A  conditional  sentence  is  one  that 
contains  a  condition  or  supposition.  A  supposition  may 
refer  to  present,  past,  or  future  time.  If  it  refers  to  pres- 
ent or  past  time,  it  may  be  viewed  by  the  speaker  as  true, 
untrue,  or  as  a  mere  supposition  with  nothing  implied  as 
to  its  truth  ;  if  it  refers  to  the  future,  it  may  be  viewed  as 
either  likely  or  unlikely.  A  supposition  which  is  assumed 
to  be  true,  or  which  is  made  without  any  hint  as  to  its  cor- 
rectness, is  expressed  by  the  indicative.  A  supposition 
which  is  viewed  by  the  speaker  as  untrue  or  unlikely  is 
expressed  by  the  subjunctive  or  a  periphrase'  for  the  sub- 
junctive. When  the  character  of  the  supposition  makes 
the  conclusion  untrue  or  unlikely,  the  conclusion  also  is  ex- 
pressed by  the  subjunctive  or  a  periphrase'  for  the  sub- 
junctive. The  use  of  tenses  is  peculiar,  as  will  be  seen  from 
the  following  table  of  a  few  common  forms  of  conditional 
sentences.     The  tenses  should  be  carefully  noted  : — 

ii  (  If  it  rains  {is  raining)  now,  I  ain  sovrv. 

H  J       Present  indicative:  A  simple  supposition  without  any  hint  as  to  its  correctness, 

g  I   If  it  rained  [were  raining)^  I  should  he  soriv. 

P-(  [.      Past  subjunctive,  both  clauses:  The  spealier  implies  that  it  is  not  raining. 

If  it  rained  (was  mining)^  I  wns  soriv. 

Past  indicative:  No  suggestion  of  doubt.    ■ 
If  it  liad  rained,  I  should  have  been  sorrv 

Past  perfect  subjunctive,  both  clauses:  The  speaker  implies  that  it  did  not  rain. 

If  it  rains,  I  shall  be  sorry. 

Present  indicative:  The  common,  though  inexact,  form  of  a  simple  future  sup- 
If  it  rain,  I  shall  be  sori'v.  [position. 

^  ■{       Present  subjunctive:  Less  common,  but  more  exact.     The  future  is  uncertain. 
If  it  shoidd  [were  to)  rain,  I  should  be  son  v. 
Subjunctive,  both  clauses :  The  uncertainty  is  emphasized  by  the  auxiliary  form ; 
the  chances  of  rain  seem  more  remote. 

'  See  paragraph  3,  page  84.  The  forms  in  "  would  "  and  "  should  "  in 
conditional  sentences,  though  they  express  the  subjunctive  idea,  can  hardly 
be  called  the  "subjunctive  mood."  Sometimes  they  are  called  the  "con- 
ditional mood." 


Eh 
CO 

<: 
Ph 


86  PRACTICAL   EXP:UCISES   in    ENGLISH 

Note  1. — When  if  is  equivalent  to  "  whenever,"  the  condition  is  called 
"general,"  to  distinguish  it  from  "particular"  conditions,  which  refer  to 
some  particular  act  at  some  particular  time.  General  conditions  always 
take  the  indicative:  as,  "If  (whenever)  it  rains,  I  stay  at  home." 

Note  2. — Sometimes  there  is  no  "  if,"  and  then  the  verb  or  a  part  of  the 
verb  precedes  the  subject:  as,  "Were  it  raining,  I  should  be  sorry;" 
"Had  it  been  raining,  I  should  have  been  sorry." 

Note  3. — In  such  sentences  as  "  If  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had 
not  died,"  it  may  perhaps  be  questioned  whether  "  had  not  died  "  is  indica- 
tive, as  in  the  Greek,  or  subjunctive,  as  in  the  Latin,  idiom. 

Note  4. — Clauses  introduced  by  though  and  unless  take  the  same  forms 
as  clauses  introduced  by  if. 

Wishes  are  naturally  expressed  in  the  subjunctive.  The 
present  subjunctive  denotes  a  wish  for  the  future:  as, 
"Tliy  kingdom  comey  The  past  subjunctive  denotes  a 
wish  for  the  present  which  is  unfulfilled:  as,  "I  wish  I 
were  a  bird."  The  j)cist  perfect  subjunctive  denotes  a  wish 
contrary  to  a  past  fact :  as,  "  I  wish  you  had  been  there." 

EXERCISE  L. 

Tell  tlie  time  o^ef erred  to  in  each  of  the  following  sentences,  and  wheth- 
er the  speaker  regards  tlie  condition  as  true,  untrue,  or  uncertain : — 

1.  If  all  men  did  their  duty,  there  would  be  less  misery  hi  the 
world. 

2.  Had  I  heard  of  the  affair  sooner,  this  misfortune  would  not 
have  happened. 

3.  Were  it  true,  I  would  say  so. 

4.  I  would  go  with  you  if  I  could  spare  the  time. 

5.  She  could  sing  if  she  would. 

6.  If  love  be  rough  with  you,  be  rough  witii  love 

7.  If  all  the  year  were  playing  holidays,  to  play  would  be  as 
tedious  as  to  work. 

8    If  thou  warn  the  wicked,  and  he  turn  not  from  his  wicked 
ness,  he  shall  die  in  his  iniquity, 
9.  He  brags  as  if  he  were  of  note. 

10.  If  the  natural  course  of  tliis  stream  be  obstructed,  the  water 
will  make  a  new  channel. 

11.  If  the  natural  course  of  a  stream  is  obstructed,  the  water  will 
make  a  new  channel. 


OF   VERBS  87 

12.  If  the  book  was  in  my  library,  some  one  must  have  borrowed  it. 

13.  If  lie  knows  the  way,  he  does  not  need  a  guide, 

14.  If  he  still  wishes  to  go,  he  may  take  my  horse. 

15.  Had  he  followed  my  advice,  he  would  be  rich. 

16.  Had  she  lived  a  twelvemonth  more 

She  had  not  died  to-day. 

17.  Though  gods  they  were,  as  men  they  died. 

18.  Though  the  law  is  severe,  we  must  obey  it. 

19.  If  the  law  be  severe,  we  must  change  it. 

20.  Though  the  vase  were  made  of  steel,  the  servant  would  break  it. 

21.  Though  the  vase  was  made  of  steel,  the  servant  broke  it. 

EXERCISE   LI. 

Tell  the  difference  in  meaning  between  the  italicized  forms  : — 

1.  If  he  is  {were)  studious,  he  icill  {would)  excel. 

2.  If  he  icas  {had  been)  studious,  he  excelled  {would  have  excelled) 

3.  Oh,  that  you  may  be  {were,  had  been)  blameless. 

4.  Though  he  deceive  {deceives)  me,  yet  will  I  trust  him. 

5.  Though  he  deceived  me,  yet  will  {icould)  I  trust  him. 

6.  Though  he  deceived  (had  deceived)  me,  yet  would  I  trust  him 

7.  Though  the  boy's  coat  was  {were)  made  of  silk,  he  soiled  {would 

soil)  it. 

EXERCISE   LII. 

Wliich  of  the  italicized  forms  is  'preferablel     Oice  the  reason : — 

1.  They  act  as  if  it  was  {were)  possible  to  deceive  us. 

2.  If  l,was  {were)  in  his  place,  I  would  go. 

3.  I  wish  my  mother  was  (were)  here. 

4.  See  that  no  one  is  {be)  forgotten, 

5.  If  this  is  {be)  treason,  make  the  most  of  it. 

6.  If  it  rain  {rains),  the  work  is  delayed. 

7.  If  it  rain  {rains),  the  work  will  be  delayed. 

8.  Take  care  lest  you  are  {be)  carried  away  by  your  feelings. 

9.  If  he  acquire  (acquires)  riches,  they  may  make  him  worldly. 

10.  I  could  jump  across  the  stream  if  it  teas  (were)  necessary, 

11.  If  to-morrow  is  (be)  breezy,  we  will  go  sailing. 

12.  If  my  father  was  (were)  here,  he  would  enjoy  this. 
18.  If  she  rcas  (were)  at  the  reception,  I  did  not  see  her. 

14.  If  he  speak  (speaks)  only  to  display  his  talents,  he  is  unworthy 
of  attention. 


88  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IX  ENGLISH 

15.  I  wish  I  was  {were)  at  home. 

16.  Though  this  seem  {seems)  improbable,  it  is  true. 

17.  I  should  be  surprised  if  this  marriage  take  ( took,  will  take, 
sliould  take)  place. 

18.  If  the  book  was  {were)  in  my  library,  I  would  send  it. 

19.  I  will  see  that  he  obey  {obeys)  you. 

20.  If  a  man  smite  {smites)  his  servant  and  the  servant  die  {dies),  the 
man  shall  surely  be  put  to  death. 

21.  Though  he  is  {be)  poor  and  helpless  now,  you  may  rest  assured 
that  he  will  not  remain  so. 

22.  I  wish  I  was  {were)  a  musician. 

23.  Make  haste  lest  your  ardor  cool  {cools). 

24.  He  will  continue  hi.s  course,  though  it  cost  {costs)  him  his  life. 

25.  Though  a  liar  speak  {speaks)  the  truth,  he  will  hardly  be  be- 
lieved. ' 

26    Govern  well  thy  appetite,  lest  sin  surprise  {surprises)  thee. 

27.  Though  gold  is  {be)  more  precious  than  iron,  iron  is  more  use- 
ful than  gold. 

28.  Whether  he  go  {goes)  or  not,  it  is  your  duty  to  go. 

29.  If  he  was  {were,  sliould  be)  elected,  it  would  be  bis  ruin. 

30.  If  a  picture  is  {be)  admired  by  none  but  painters,  the  picture  is 
bad. 

31.  If  one  went  {should  go)  unto  them  from  the  dead,  they  would 
repent. 

32.  If  an  animal  of  any  kind  was  {were)  kept  shut  up  in  a  box,  it 
would  surely  die. 

33.  They  will  not  believe,  though  one  rose  {rise)  from  the  dead. 

34.  Clerk  wanted.  It  is  indispensable  that  he  wi'ite  {writes)  a  good 
hand  and  have  {has)  some  knowledge  of  book-keeping. 

35.  If  the  debtor  paj/  {j)ays)  the  debt,  he  shall  be  discharged. 

36.  If  my  sister  go  {goes),  which  I  think  is  doubtful,  she  will  surely 
call  for  you. 

37.  The  most  glorious  hero  that  ever  desolated  nations  might  have 
mouldered  into  oblivion  did  {had)  not  some  historian  take  {taken)  him 
into  favor. 

38.  He  will  see  his  error  if  he  substitute  {substitutes)  "  that  which  " 
for  "what." 

39.  Though  Dorothy  is  {be)  young,  she  is  tall. 

40.  Unless  he  take  (takes)  better  care  of  his  health,  his  constitution 
will  break  down. 


OF  VERBS  89 

41.  If  I  lend  you  my  horse,  I  shall  {should)  have  to  borrow  one 
myself. 

42.  I  hope  that  if  any  of  my  readers  comes  (come,  should  come)  to 
New  Haven,  he  may  tind  the  city  just  as  I  Iiave  described  it. 

Singular  or  Plupal.' — The  following  principles,  estab- 
lished by  good  usage,  writers  or  speakers  are  liable  to  for- 
get :— 

1.  The  expressions  each^  every,  many  a,  either,  and  neither 
are  singular. 

2.  When  the  subject  consists  of  singular  nouns  or  pro- 
nouns connected  by  or,  either — or,  or  neither — nor,  the  verb 
raust  be  singular. 

3.  Words  joined  to  the  subject  by  vnth,  together  %mth,  in 
addition  to,  or  as  well  as,  are  not  a  part  of  the  grammatical 
subject,  but  are  parenthetical,  and  therefore  do  not  affect 
the  number  of  the  verb. 

4.  Since  a  relative  pronoun  has  the  number  and  person 
of  its  antecedent,  a  verb  whase  subject  is  a  relative  pro- 
noun agrees  in  person  and  number  with  the  antecedent  of 
the  relative. 

5.  "  When  the  subject  though  plural  in  form  is  singular 
in  sense,  the  verb  should  be  singular ;  when  the  subject 
though  singular  in  form  is  plural  in  sense,  the  verb  should 
be  plural :"  ^  as,  "  '  Gulliver's  Travels '  was  written  by 
Swift;"  "Five  hundred  dollars  is  a  large  sum;"  "Half  of 
them  are  gone." 

6.  "  A  collective  noun,  when  it  refers  to  the  collection 
as  a  whole,  is  singular  in  sense,  and  therefore  requires  a 
singular  verb ;  when  it  refers  to  the  individual  persons  or 
things  of  the  collection,  it  is  plural  and  requires  a  plural 
verb." ' 

•  "Foundations,"  pp.  101-108. 

^  A.  S.  Hill:  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  56. 

3  Ibid.,  p.  57. 


90  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

EXERCISE  LIII. 

Insert  the  proper  form  of  the  verb  "to  be"  in  each  of  the  blank 
places : — 

1.  "Horses"  —  a  common  noun. 

2.  Such  phenomena  —  very  strange. 

3.  The  ship  with  all  her  crew  —  lost. 

4.  No  less  than  fifty  dollars  —  paid  for  what  was  not  worth 
twenty. 

5.  Homer,  as  well  as  Virgil,  —  once  students  (a  student)  on  the 
banks  of  the  Rhine. 

6.  The  committee  —  divided  in  its  (their)  judgment. 

7.  The  genii  who  —  expected  to  be  present  —  deaf  to  every  call. 

8.  France  was  once  divided  into  a  number  of  kingdoms,  each  of 
which  —  ruled  by  a  duke. 

9.  Sir  Richard  Steele  lived  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  when  the 
tone  of  gentlemen's  characters  —  very  low. 

10.  Each  man  employed  in  this  department  —  paid  for  his  (their) 
work. 

11.  Mathematics  —  my  hardest  study. 

13.  There  —  once  two  boys  who  were  so  exactly  alike  in  appear- 
ance that  they  could  not  be  distinguished. 

13.  Each  of  the  heads  of  the  Chimera  —  able  to  spit  fire. 

14.  The  jury  —  eating  dinner. 

15.  "Plutarch's  Lives "  —  an  Interesting  book. 

16.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  features  of  Kennebunkport  —  the 
tremendous  rocks  all  along  the  coast. 

17.  The  richness  of  her  arms  and  apparel  —  conspicuous  in  the 
foremost  ranks. 

18.  My  robe  and  my  integrity  to  heaven 
—  all  I  dare  now  call  my  own. 

19.  Refreshing  as  springs  in  the  desert  to  their  long-languishing 
eyes  —  the  sight  of  his  white  cravat  and  his  boots  of  Parisian  polish. 

20.  The  "Arabian  Nights"  in  complete  form  comprise  (comprises) 
twenty  volumes  and  —  written  by  different  men. 

21.  Fifty  dollars  a  month  —  paid  by  the  government  to  the  widow 
of  the  colonel. 

22.  Ten  minutes  —  spent  in  a  writing  exercise.     '. 

23.  —  either  of  you  going  to  the  village? 

24.  Our  happiness  or  our  sorrow  —  largely  due  to  our  own  actions. 


OF   VERBS  91 

35.  The  guidance  as  well  as  tlm  love  of  a  mother  —  wanting. 

26.  Every  one  of  these  books  —  mine. 

27.  General  Custer  with  his  whole  force  —  massacred  by  Indians. 

28.  Three  times  three  —  nine.  ^ 

29.  Nearly  three  hundred  yards  of  the  track  —  under  water.  < 

30.  To  admit  the  existence  of  God  and  then  to  refuse  to  worship 
liira  —  inconsistent. 

w    31.  The  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tides  •     caused  by  the  attraction  of 
the  moon. 

32.  Six  dollars  a  week  —  all  he  earns. 

33.  Nine-tenths  of  his  time  —  wasted. 

34.  Three  quarts  of  oats  —  enough  for  a  horse's  meal. 

35.  "Tales  of  a  Wayside  Inn "  —  written  by  Longfellow. 

36.  The  rest  of  the  Republican  ticket       elected. 

EXERCISE   LIV, 

Which  of  the  italicised  forms  is  preferable? — 
1.  A  variety  of  pleasing  objects  charm  {charms)  the  eye. 
-  2.  Already  a  train  or  two  has  {have)  come  in. 

3.  Each  day  and  each  hour  bring  {brings)  contrary  blessings. 

4.  The  Senate  has  {have)  adjourned. 

5.  No  monstrous  height,  or  lehgth,  or  breadth  appear  {appears). 

6.  I  am  the  general  who  command  {commands)  you. 

7.  Many  a  captain  with  all  his  crew  has  {have)  been  lost  at  sea. 

8.  The  jury  who  {which)  was  {icere)  out  all  night  has  {have)  just 
returned  a  verdict. 

9.  He  dare  {dares)  not  touch  a  hair  of  Catiline. 

10.  The  ambition  and  activity  of  this  railroad  has  {have)  done  much 
towards  the  civilization  of  tlie  world. 

11.  Thackeray's  "English    Humorists"  treat  {treats)  not  of  the 
writings  of  the  humorists  so  much  as  of  their  characters  and  lives. 

12.  Addison  was  one  of  the  best.writers  tliat  has  {hace)  ever  lived. 

13.  This  is  one  of  the  books  that  give  {gives)  me  pleasure. 

14.  Give  me  one  of  the  books  that  is  (a?'e)'' lying  on  the  table. 

15.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  questions  that  has  {have) 
come  up. 

16.  Nothing  but  vain  and  foolish  pursuits  delight  {delights)  some 
persons. 

17.  Six  months'  interest  is  {are)  due. 


92  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 


^ 


A 


18.  You  are  not  the  first  one  that  has  (have)  been  deceived  in  that 
way. 

19.  My  room  is  one  of  those  that  overlook  (overlooks)  the  garden. 

20.  A  committee  was  (were)  appointed  to  investigate  the  matter. 

21.  The  greater  part  of  the  audience  teas  (were)  pleased. 

22.  The  public  is  [are)  respectful!}'  invited. 

23.  Tlie  jury  loas  {were)  not  unanimous.  ' 

24.  Generation  after  generation  pass  {passes)  away. 

25.  A  glimpse  of  gable  roof  and  red  chimneys  add  {adds)  far  more 
to  the  beauty  of  such  a  scene  than  could  the  grandest  palace. 

26.  The  society  liold  {holds)  their  {its)  meetings  weekly. 

27.  What  is  {are)  the  gender,  the  number,  and  the  person  of  the 
following  words  ? 

28.  He  made  one  of  tlie  best  speeches  that  Jias  {have)  been  delivered 
before  the  school. 

29.  He  is  one  of  those  persons  who  is  {are)  quick  to  take  offence. 

30.  This  {these)  scanty  data  is  {are)  all  we  have. 

31.  If  the  meaning  of  these  passages  is  not  carefully  explained, 
some  of  the  congregation  may  think,  that  Matthew  or  Paul  is  {are) 
guilty  of  some  unorthodox  opinions. 

Misused   Verbs.  —  See    the    remarks    under    "Misused 

Nouns." 

I.    A    RESEMBLANCE    IN    SOUND    MISLEADS. 

Accredit,  credit.— "T(?  accredit  means  'to  invest  with  credit  or  au- 
thority,' or  '  to  send  with  letters  credential;'  to  credit  means  '  to  be- 
lieve,' " '^  or  "to  put  to  the  credit  of." 

Arise,  rise.— "The  choice  between  these  words  was  primarily,  and 
slill  often  is,  a  matter  of  rhytlim  [euphony].  The  literal  meanings, 
however,  or  those  which  seem  literal,  have  become  more  associated 
with  rise,  and  the  consciously  figurative  with  arise :  as,  he  rose  from 
the  chair;  the  sun  rose;  the  provinces  rose  in  revolt:  trouble  arose ; 
'  music  arose  with  its  voluptuous  swell.'  "  ' 

Captivate,  capture.— To  captivate  means  "to  fascinate  " ;  to  capture, 
"  to  take  prisoner." 

Depreciate,  deprecate.— To  depreciate  means    'to  bring  down  in 

1  "Foundations,"  p.  109. 

*  A.  S.  Hill:  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  38. 

®  The  Century  Dictionary. 


OF  VERBS  93 

value,"  "to  disparage;"  to  deprecate  means  "to   argue  earnestly 
against "  or  "to  express  regret  for." 

Impugn,  impute.— Tb  impugn  means  "to  call  in  question:"  to  im- 
pute means  "to  ascribe  to." 

Loan,  lend.— The  use  of  loan  as  a  verb  is  not  sanctioned  by  good 
use.  Properly  the  word  is  a  noun.  A  loan  is  money  which  a  per- 
son lends. 

EXERCISE  LV. 

I'ell  tJie  difference  in  meaning  between — 

1.  The  Amazon  captivated  (captured)  our  hero. 

2.  The  king  depreciated  (deprecated)  Napoleon's  effort  to  raise  a 
new  army. 

3.  The  readiness  with  which  men  impute  (impugn)  motives  is 
much  to  be  regretted. 

EXERCISE  LVI. 

Insert  the  proper  word  in  each,  bltiiik,  and  give  the  reason  fo^'  your 
choice :—  Accpedit,  credit. 

1.  Mr.  Lowell  was  — ed  as  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  England. 

2.  These  reasons  will  —  his  opinion. 

3.  He  did  not  —  the  strange  report. 

4.  The  contribution  of  five  dollars  previously  — ed  to  Mr.  Will- 
iams came  from  Mr.  Brown. 

5.  Mr.  Sherman  is  well  — ed  as  a  writer  on  finance. 

6.  The  bank  has  not  — ed  me  with  the  interest  on  the  deposit. 

Arise,  rise. 

7.  The  court  —  at  four  o'clock. 

8.  At  the  discharge  of  a  gun  whole  flocks  of  quail  would  — . 

9.  The  idea  of  a  reward  did  not  —  iu  his  mind. 

10.  Most  of  these  appalling  accidents  —  from  negligence. 

11.  The  men  —  against  their  ofiicers. 

12.  Other  cases  of  mutiny  may  — . 

Captivate,  capture. 

13.  Her  husband  was  — d  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

14.  Mr.  S.  was  — d  by  the  young  widow's  beauty. 

15.  Let  us  attack  them  now  and  try  to  —  the  whole  squad. 

16.  It  is  not  merely  what  Chaucer  has  to  say,  but  even  more  the 
agreeable  way  he  has  of  saying  it,  that  — s  our  attention  and  gives 
him  an  assured  place  in  literature. 


94  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN  ENGLISH 

Depreciate,  deprecate. 

17.  Financial  panics  are  likely  to  follow  a  — cl  currency. 

18.  His  purpose  was  — d  by  all  who  knew  it. 

19.  Both  parties  —  war. 

20.  It  is  natural  for  those  who  have  not  succeeded  to  —  the  work 
of  those  who  have. 

21.  He  — s  his  daughter's  desire  to  earn  her  own  living. 

23.  An  injurious  consequence  of  asceticism  was  a  tendency  to  — 
the  character  and  the  position  of  woman. 

Impugn,  impute. 

23.  We  cannot  deny  the  conclusion  of  a  proposition  of  Euclid 
without  — ing  the  axioms  which  are  the  basis  of  its  demonstration. 

24.  The  gentleman  — s  my  honesty. 

25.  The  power  of  fortune  is  confessed  only  by  the  miserable,  for 
the  happy  —  all  their  success  to  prudence  and  merit. 

26.  Mr.  X.  is  uncharitable  ;  he  always  — s  bad  motives. 

II.    A    RESEMBLANCE    IN    SENSE    MISLEADS.' 

Antagonize,  oppose.— To  antagonize  means  properly  ' '  to  struggle 
against,"  "to  oppose  actively,"  or  "to  counteract."  "In  England, 
antagonizing  forces  must  be  of  the  same  kind,  but  in  the  political 
phraseology  of  the  United  States  a  person  may  antagonize  [i.e.,  op- 
pose) a  measure."^ 

Calculate,  intend.-To  calculate  means  properly  "  to  compute  math- 
ematically," or  "to  adjust  or  adapt"  for  something.  In  the  sense 
of  intend  it  is  not  in  good  use. 

Carry,  bring,  feteh.-To  carry  means  "  to  take  along  in  going;"  to 
hring  means  "to  take  along  in  coming;"  to  fetch  means  "to  go,  get, 

and  bring." 

Champion,  support.— The  word  chamjnon  is  very  much  overworked, 
being  often  used  iu  the  general  sense  of  "support."  It  should  be 
restricted  to  cases  in  which  there  is  the  idea  of  entering  the  lists  as 
champion  of  a  cause. 

Claim,  assert,  allege,  maintain,  declare,  affirm,  state.  — To  claim 
means  properly  "  to  demand  as  one's  own  or  one's  due."  It  is  often 
loosely  used,  especially  in  the  United  States,  for  "assert,"  "allege," 
"maintain,"  " declare,"  or  "affirm."  To  assert  is  "  to  say  or  declare 
in  the  face  of  implied  denial  or  doubt."    To  allege  is  "  to  assert  with- 

1  "Foundations,"  pp.  110-114.  '■'  Murray's  Dictionary. 


OF   VERBS  95 

out  proof."  To  maintain  is  "to  uphold  by  argument."  To  declare 
is  "to  say  publicly,  clearly,  or  emphatically."  To  affirm  is  "to  assert 
on  one's  reputation  for  knowledge  or  truthfulness."  To  state,  which 
is  also  often  misused  in  the  sense  of  "say,"  "  assert,"  "  allege,"  "de- 
clare," or  "affirm,"  means  properly  "  to  express  formally  and  in  de- 
tail;" it  always  implies  detail.  (See  "Foundations,"  pp.  113,  114, 
and  "Practical  Exercises,"  p.  99.) 

Confess,  z.&mli.—'''  Admit,  in  cases  into  which  the  idea  of  confession 
does  not  enter,  is  preferable  to  confess.  On  grounds  of  idiom,  how- 
ever, '  I  must  confess  '  and  the  parenthetical  '  I  confess '  are  exempt 
from  the  operation  of  this  rule."  ' 

Demand,  ask.— Tc*  demand  means  "  to  ask  for  with  authority  or  with 
insistence."  Tlie  use  of  "  demand  "  in  the  sense  of  "ask"  is  bor- 
rowed, possibly,  from  the  French  use  of  demander. 

Hire,  let,  lease.— To  hire  means  "to  obtain  the  use  of;"  to  let,  "to 
give  the  use  of."  To  lease  means  "to  give  the  use  of  by  lease."  The 
owner  of  a  house  leases  it ;  the  person  who  occupies  it  takes  a  lease 
of  it. 
^  Learn,  tez.ch.— Learn  means  to  "acquire "  knowledge,  not  to  "  im- 
part" it.     In  the  latter  sense  the  proper  word  is  teach. 

"  I  have  more  information  to-day  than  I  had  before,"  said  Mr.  Slieehan. 

"This  has  learned  you  something,"  said  Mr.  Goff. 

"  Oh  no,"  replied  Mr.  Sheehan,  "  it  has  taught  me  something."  ^ 

Like,  love.— Like  and  love  differ  greatly  in  strength  or  warmth,  and 
may  differ  in  kind.  Like  may  be  feeble  and  cool,  and  it  never  has 
the  intensity  of  love.  We  may  like  or  even  lone  a  person;  we  only 
like  the  most  palatable  kind  of  food.  With  an  infinitive,  like  is  the 
common  word,  love  being  appropriate  only  in  the  hyperbole  of  poet- 
ical or  rhetorical  feeling.' 

Materialize,  appear.— I'w  materialize  properly  means  "to  make  or 
to  become  physically  perceptible  :"  as,  "  by  means  of  letters  we  ma- 
terialize our  ideas  and  make  them  as  lasting  as  ink  and  paper ;" 
"  the  ideas  of  the  sculptor  materialize  in  marble." 

Plead,  argue.— See  ])lea,  argument,  p.  29. 

Stay,  stop.— "Stay,  as  in  'At  what  hotel  are  you  staying  ?'  is  prefer- 
able to  stop,  since  sto2)  also  means  'to  stop  without  slaying.'  "* 

1  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  18. 

'■'  Newspaper  report.  ^  See  the  Century  Dictionary. 

*  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  j).  19. 


96  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Transpire,  happen.— Tci  transpire  means  properly  "to  escape  from 
secrecy  to  notice,"  "  to  leak  out ;"  it  should  not  be  used  in  the  sense 
of  to  happen. 

EXERCISE   LVII. 

Tell  t?ie  difference  in  meaning  between — 

1.  Please  bring  {fetch)  a  chair  from  the  next  room. 

2.  You  had  better  carry  (bring)  an  umbrella  with  you. 

3.  He  asserts  {alleges,  maintains,  declares,  affirms,  says)  that  he  has 
been  robbed. 

4.  Mr.  A.  stated  {declared)  his  opinion. 

5.  He  admits  {confesses)  the  fault. 

6.  The  grocer  asks  for  {demands)  his  money. 

7.  He  has  let  {hired)  the  boat  for  the  afternoon. 

8.  We  have  leased  {taken  a  lease  of)  the  cottage. 

9.  He  is  learning  {teaching)  the  alphabet. 

10.  Dorothy  likes  {loves)  Helen. 

11.  Washington  stayed  {stopped)  at  this  house  on  his  way  to  Phila- 
delphia. 

13.  It  transpired  {happened)  that  we  disagreed. 

EXERCISE  LVIIL 

Insert  the  proper  word  in  each  blank,  and  give  the  reason  for  your 

choice : — ' 

Antagonize,  oppose. 

1.  Ex-Secretary  Windom  — d  ex-Secretary  Sherman's  bill. 

2.  The  body  is  balanced  by  an  incessant  shifting  of  the  muscles, 
one  group'  — ing  the  other. 

3.  I  am  too  weak  to  —  your  cunning. 

Calculate,  intend. 

4.  To-morrow  he  — s  to  hunt  the  boar. 

5.  Bradley  was  able  to  —  the  velocity  of  light. 

6.  He  — s  to  go. 

Carry,  fetch,  bring. 

7.  Farmers  —  their  potatoes  to  market. 

8.  What  shall  I  —  you  from  Paris  ? 

9.  Harry,  please  —  a  chair  from  the  hall. 

10.  Go  to  the  flock  and  —  me  two  young  lambs. 

'  In  some  of  the  sentences  one  verb  or  another  is  allowable,  according  to 
the  meaning  intended. 


OF  VERBS  97 

11.  The  Spartan  was  to  —  his  shield  home,  or  to  be  borne  home 
on  it. 

12.  When  he  dieth,  he  shall  —  nothing  away. 

Champion,  support. 

13.  The  Republican  party  — ed  this  measure. 

14.  He  — ed  tlie  policy  of  tlie  administration. 

15.  Gareth  — ed  the  cause  of  Lynette  in  the  combats  with  the 
craven  knights. 

Claim,  assert,  allege,  maintain,  declare,  affirm,  state,  say. 

16.  The  heavens  —  the  glory  of  God. 

17.  Rhoda  constantly  — d  that  it  was  even  so. 

18.  I  have  endeavored  to  —  nothing  but  what  I  have  good  authoi'- 
ity  for. 

19.  Nay,  if  my  Lord  — d  that  black  was  white, 
My  word  was  this,  your  honour's  in  tlie  right. 

20.  She  — s  her  innocence  in  the  strongest  terms. 

21.  I  will  —  what  He  hath  done  for  my  soul. 

22.  What  if  Nemesis  —  repayment  ? 

23.  It  is  not  directly  — d,  but  it  seems  to  be  implied. 

24.  That  such  a  report  existed  in  Claudian's  time  cannot  now 
be— d. 

25.  Geologists  —  that  before  there  were  men  on  earth  this  im- 
mense gulf  was  a  forest. 

26.  He  fared  on  in  haste  to  —  his  kingdom. 

27.  Will  Mr.  L.  —  his  reasons  for  disagreeing  with  the  rest  of  the 
committee  ? 

28.  He  — s  that  he  will  not  come. 

29.  Both  sides  —  the  victor3^ 

30.  There  is  another  point  which  — s  our  attention. 

81.  He  — d  that  he  had  been  robbed  by  A.,  but  he  showed  no 
proofs. 

32.  He  — s  that  the  thief  attacked  him  on  Tbird  Street. 

33.  Please  —  all  the  particulars  of  the  disaster. 

34.  The  woman  — s  that  she  left  Bangor  Thursday  night,  and  was 
put  off  the  train  at  Hermon  for  not  paying  her  fare. 

Confess,  admit. 

35.  He  — s  that  his  opponent  is  a  good  man. 

36.  I  —  that  I  spoke  too  hastily. 

5 


98  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

37.  I  —  that  John  was  a  thief. 

38.  Every  man  must  —  that  he  has  occasional  fits  of  bad  temper 

39.  The  problem,  I  — ,  is  difficult. 

Demand,  ask. 

40.  He  — s  why  I  will  not  e;o  with  him. 

41.  The  highwayman  — ed  their  purses. 

42.  Tlie  pound  of  flesh  which  I  —  of  him 

I  dearly  bought;  'tis  mine,  and  I  will  have  it. 

48.  He  — ed  the  way  to  Chester. 

Hire,  let,  lease. 

44.  Boats  to  — ;  twenty-five  cents  an  hour. 

45.  We  will  —  our  country-house  during  the  winter, 

46.  —  us  some  fair  chamber  for  the  night. 

47.  Bathing  suits  to  — , 

Like,  love. 

48.  I  —  to  go  rowing. 

49.  He  — s  to  talk  of  the  days  before  the  war, 

50.  All  children  —  their  mothers. 

51.  She  — s  her  blue  gown. 

52.  Don't  you  —  strawberry  short-cake  ? 

53.  A  maid  wliom  there  were  none  to  praise 

And  very  few  to  — . 

Materialize,  appear. 

54.  The  representatives  of  the  other  colleges  did  not  — . 

55.  His  hopes  have  not  — ed. 

Stay,  stop. 

56.  The  King  of  Denmark  — s  there  during  the  summer. 

57.  —  a  few  moments  longer. 

58.  She  is  very  kind  to  ask  me  to  —  overnight. 

59.  I  am  very  tired  ;  let  us  —  here  and  rest. 

60    I've  been  — ing  with  my  mother  for  a  week. 

Transpire,  happen,  elapse. 

61.  After  a  considerable  time  had  — d,  he  returned  to  the  ofllce, 

62.  Silas  takes  an  interest  in  everything  that  — s. 

63    Presently  it  — d  that  Henry  Roscoe  was  the  obstinate  jury- 
baan. 
64.  Many  things  have  — d  since  the  war  was  ended. 


OF   VERBS  99 

III.    ADDITIONAL    MISUSED    VERBS.' 

Accept,  except.— y<?  accept  means  "to  take  something  offered;"  to 
except  means  "to  make  an  exception  of." 

Advertise,  advise.— 7'o  advertise  is  "to  announce  to  the  public  •"  to 
advise  is  "  to  give  counsel  or  information  to  a  person." 

Affect,  effect.— To  affect  is  "to  act  upon,"  "to  influence;"  to  effect 
is  "to  bring  about." 

Alleviate,  relieve.— ?'«  alleviate  pain  is  "to  lighten"  it;  to  relieve  it 
is  to  go  further,  and  "  to  remove  it  in  a  large  measure  or  altogether." 

Allow,  admit,  thinVi— Allow  properly  means  to  "gran+'  or  "per 
mit,"  not  to  "admit,"  "think"  or  "intend." 

Allude  to,  refer  to,  mention.— We  mention  a  thing  when  we  name  it 
directly.  We  refer  to  it  when  we  speak  of  it  less  directly.  We  al- 
lude to  it  when  we  refer  to  it  in  a  delicate  or  slight  way. 

Argue,  augur.— Tb  argue  is  "to  bring  forward  reasons;"  to  angur 
is  "  to  foretell,"  "to  forebode." 

Compare  with,  compare  to,  contrast.-"  Two  things  are  compared  in 
order  to  note  the  points  of  resemblance  and  difference  between  them; 
they  are  contrasted  in  order  to  note  the  points  of  difference  only. 
When  one  thing  is  compared  to  another,  it  is  to  show  that  the  first  is 
like  the  second ;  when  one  thing  is  compared  with  another,  it  is  to 
show  either  difference  or  similarity,  especially  difference."  ^ 

Construe,  construct.— "  To  construe  means  'to  interpret,'  'to  show 
the  meaning;'  to  construct  means  '  to  build ;'  we  may  construe  a  sen- 
tence as  in  translation,  or  construct  it  as  in  composition."  ^ 

Convince,  convict.— "  To  convince  is  'to  satisfy  the  understanding;' 
to  convict,  'to  pronounce  guilty.'  'The  jury  having  been  convinced 
of  the  prisoner's  guilt,  he  was  convicted,' "  ^ 

Detect.  diseriminate.—J'(?  detect  is  "to  find  out;"  to  discriminate  is 
"to  distinguish  between." 

Disclose,  discover.— To  disclose  is  "  to  uncover,"  "  to  reveal;"  to  dis- 
cover is,  in  modern  usage,  "to  find." 

Dominate,  domineer.— It*  dominate  is  "to  rule  ;"  to  domineer  is  "  to 
rule  in  an  overbearing  manner." 

Drive,  ride.— We  go  driving  in  carriages,  riding  in  saddles.  We 
drive  behind  horses,  we  ride  on  them. 


1  "Foundations,"  p.  115.  ^  The  Century  Dictionary. 

^  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  38. 


100  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN    ENGLISH 

Eliminate,  elicit.— lb  eliminate  is  "to  remove,"  "  to  get  rid  of  ;"  to 
elicit  is  "to  draw  out." 

Estimate,  esteem.— T'o  estimate  is  "to  judge  the  value  of ;"  to  esteem 
is  "to  set  a  high  value  on,"  especially  of  persons. 

Expose,  expound.— 719  expose  is  "to  lay  bare  to  view  ;"  to  expound  is 
"  to  explain  the  meaning  of." 

"Fvishten.— Frighten  is  a  transitive  verb,  and  is  used  correctly  in 
"The  Xocovaoii'VQ  frightened  the  horse;"  "The  hovse  was  frightened 
by  the  locomotive;"  "The  horse  became /n^^<e«^d."  It  should  not 
be  used  intransitively,  as  in  the  sentence  "The  horse  frightened  at 
the  locomotive." 

Inquire,  investigate.— J<?  inquire  is  "to  ask  for  information  ;"  to  in- 
vestigate is  "to  make  a  thorough  examination." 

Insure,  secure.— Secure,  in  the  sense  of  "  to  guard  from  danger,"  "to 
make  safe,"  is  preferable  to  insure,  since  insure  also  naeaus  "to 
guarantee  indemnity  for  future  loss  or  damage." 

Let,  leave.— Xe^  means  "  to  permit;"  leave,  "to  let  remain,"  or  "to 
go  away  from." 

Locate,  ^nd.— Locate  properly  means  "to  place  in  a  particular  posi- 
tion," or  "to  designate  the  site  of,"  as  of  a  new  building  or  pur- 
chased lands ;  it  does  not  mean  to  find. 

Fevsua.de,  advise.- To  persvade  is  "to  induce,"  "to  convince;"  to 
advise  is  "to  give  counsel  or  information." 

Predicate,  predict.— 1(?  predicate  is  "to  affirm  as  an  attribute  or 
quality;"  to  predict  is  "to  foretell." 

Prescribe,  proscribe.— To  prescribe  is  "to  lay  down  as  a  rule  or 
a  remedy;"  to  proscribe  is  "to  condemn  to  death  or  to  loss  of 
rights." 

Purpose,  propose.— " The  verb  purpose,  in  the  sense  of  'intend,'  is 
preferable  to  propose,  since  to  propose  also  means  '  to  offer  for  consid- 
eration :'  the  noun  answering  to  the  former  is  purpose  ;  to  the  latter, 
proposal  or  proposition." ' 

Repulse,  vexte\.— Repulse  usually  implies  hostility;  repel  is  a  milder 
term.  We  repulse  an  enemy  or  an  assailant;  we  repel  an  officious 
person  or  the  unwelcome  advances  of  a  lover. 

Start,  begin,  commence.— To  start  is  "to  set  out "  or  "  to  set  going," 
and  is  not  followed  by  an  infinitive.  Before  an  infinitive,  "begin" 
or  "commence"  is  used.     ''Begin  is  preferred  in  ordinary  use;  com- 

'  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  19. 


OF   VERBS  101 

m6nce  bas  more  formal  associations  with  law  and  procedure,  combat, 
divine  service,  and  ceremonial."' 

Suspect,  expect,  anticipate.— Tc^  suspect  is  "to  mistrust,"  "to  sur- 
mise." E.vpect,  in  the  sense  of  "look  forward  to,"  is  preferable  to 
anticipate,  since  anticipate  also  means  "take  up,  perform,  or  realize 
beforehand  ;"  as,  "Some  real  lives  do  actually  anticipate  the  happi- 
ness of  heaven." 

EXERCISE  LIX. 

Tell  the  difference  in  meaning  between — 
1.  I  accept  {except)  him. 
,3.  Telegraphic  communication  was  affected  {effected). 

3.  The  mediciae  alleviated  {relieved)  her  suffering. 

4.  He  alluded  to  {referred  to,  mentioned)  the  battle  of  Gettysburg. 

5.  Tlie  first  sentence  was  not  well  construed  {constructed). 

6.  Mr-  Fox  was  convinced  {convicted). 

7.  Blanche  of  Devon  disclosed  {discovered)  the  treachery  of  Mur- 
dock. 

8.  We  are  going  riding  {driving)  this  afternoon. 

9.  He  rides  {drives)  well. 

10.  I  will  inquire  about  {investigate)  the  business  methods  of  the 
building  association. 

11.  The  furniture  has  been  secured  {insured). 

12.  Let  {leave)  me  alone. 

13.  He  advised  {persuaded)  me  to  have  my  life  insured. 

14.  He  purposed  {proposed)  to  divide  the  class. 

15.  Did  you  suspect  {expect)  us  ? 

EXERCISE  LX. 

Insert  the  proper  word  in  each  blank,  and  give  the  reason  for  your 
choice:—  Accept,  except. 

1.  Let  us  —  the  terms  which  they  propose. 

2.  In  saying  that  the  Alexandrians  have  a  bad  character,  I  —  a 
few  persons. 

3.  Why  did  you  not  —  the  gift  ? 

4.  He  was  — ed  from  the  general  condemnation. 

5.  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  —  your  invitation. 

1  Murray's  Dictionary. 

2  In  some  of  the  sentences  one  verb  or  another  is  allowable,  according  to 
the  meaning  intended. 


102  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Advertise,  advise. 

6.  The  procession  was  — d  to  start  at  half -past  two  o'clock. 

7.  Under  these  circumstances  we  —  total  abstinence. 

8.  The  merchants  were  — d  of  the  risk. 

9.  When  I  return,  I  shall  —  you. 

Affect,  effect. 

10.  She  was  greatly  — ed  by  the  news. 

11.  When  a  man  is  hardened  in  crime,  no  fear  can  —  him. 

12.  They  sailed  away  without  — ing  their  purpose. 

13.  What  he  planned,  he  — ed. 

14.  Bodily  exercise  indirectly  — s  all  the  organs  of  the  body. 

15.  The  loud  crash  — ed  my  hearing  for  a  while. 

16.  Severe  cold  will  —  peach-trees. 

17.  The  invention  of  the  telephone  was  not  — ed  without  great 

labor. 

Alleviate,  relieve. 

18.  Some  fruits  are  excellent  to  —  thirst. 

19.  He  gave  me  an  opiate  to  —  my  pain. 

20.  His  charity  went  far  to  —  the  wants  of  the  poor. 

21.  My  cares  were  — ed  by  his  friendship. 

Allow,  admit,  think. 
23.  He  — (ed)  it  would  rain  to-day. 

23.  He  would  not  —  her  to  come. 

24.  I  —  she  will  come. 

25.  He  at  last  — s  that  I  was  right. 

Allude  to,  refer  to,  mention. 

26.  A  Latin  inscription  — ing  (to)  the  name  of  the  road  is  cut  on 
the  rock. 

27.  The  people  of  the  country,  —ing  (to)  the  whiteness  of  its  foam, 
call  the  cascade  "  Sour-milk  Falls." 

28.  I  proceed  to  another  affection  of  our  nature  which  bears  strong 
testimony  to  our  being  born  for  religion.  I  —  (to)  the  emotion  which 
leads  us  to  revere  what  is  higher  than  we. 

29.  He  — s  (to)  enterprises  which  he  cannot  reveal  but  with  the 

hazard  of  his  life. 

Argue,  augur. 

80.   It  — s  ill  for  an  army  when  there  are  dissensions  at  headquarters. 

31.   Not  to  know  me  — s  yourself  unknown. 

82.  E'en  though  vanquished  he  could  —  still. 


OF   VERBS  103 

Compare  to,  compare  with,  contrast. 

33.  The  generosity  of  one  person  is  most  strongly  felt  when  — d 
to  (with)  the  meanness  of  unolher. 

34.  In  Lnke  xv.  the  sinner  is  — d  to  (witli)  a  sheep. 

35.  Solon  — d  the  people  to  (with)  the  sea,  and  orators  to  (with) 
the  winds;  because  the  sea  would  be  quiet  if  the  winds  did  not 
trouble  it. 

36.  It  appears  no  unjust  simile  to  —  the  affairs  of  this  great  con- 
tinent to  (witli)  the  mechanism  of  a  clock. 

87.  Goethe  — s  translators  to  (with)  carriers  who  convey  good  wine 
to  market,  though  it  gets  unaccountably  watered  by  the  way. 

38.  To  —  the  goodness  of  God  to  (with)  our  rebellion  will  lend  to 
make  us  humble  and  thankful. 

39.  He  who  — s  his  own  condition  to  (with)  that  of  others  will  see 
that  he  has  many  reasons  to  consider  himself  fortunate. 

40.  The  treatment  of  the  Indians  by  Penn  may  be  — d  to  (with) 
the  treatment  of  them  by  other  colonists. 

41.  Burke  — s  the  parks  of  a  city  to  (with)  the  lungs  of  the  body. 

Construe,  construct. 

42.  We  might  —  his  words  in  a  bad  sense. 

43.  How  is  this  passage  in  Virgil  to  be  — d  ? 

44.  That  sentence  is  obscure  ;  it  is  not  well  — d. 

Convince,  convict. 

45.  The  jury,  having  been  — d  of  the  prisoner's  guilt,  — d  him. 

46.  I  hope  you  may  succeed  in  — ing  him  of  his  error. 

Detect,  discriminate. 

47.  I  cannot  —  the  error  in  the  account. 

48.  The  chemist  — d  the  presence  of  arsenic  in  the  coffee. 

Discover,  disclose. 

49.  Events  have  — d  the  designs  of  the  government. 

50.  We  often  —  our  mistakes  when  it  is  too  late. 

Dominate,  domineer. 

51.  Three  powers  there  are  that  —  the  world  :  Fraud,  Force,  and 
Right. 

53.  No  true  gentleman  — s  his  servants. 

Drive,  ride. 

53.  While  Mrs.  A.  and  her  children  were  — ing  in  the  park  the 
horses  ran  away  and  overturned  the  carriage. 


104  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 

54.  Will  you  go  — ing  with  me  in  my  new  pony-cart. 

55.  While  — ing  in  the  park  Mi*.  C.  was  thrown  from  his  horse. 

Elicit,  eliminate. 

56.  Discussion  is  a  good  way  to  —  truth. 

57.  His  bearing  under  the  trying  circumstances  — d  the  approval 
of  all  high-minded  men. 

58.  It  is  the  duty  of  a  statesman  to  try  to  —  the  worst  elements  of 
society  and  to  retain  the  best. 

59.  Let  us  try  to  —  the  true  facts  from  this  mass  of  evidence. 

Estimate,  esteem. 

60.  I  —  him  for  his  own  sake. 

61.  Men  do  not  —  highly  the  virtues  of  their  enemies. 

63.  The  shell  of  the  hawksbill  turtle  is  much  — d  for  making 
combs. 

63.  At  what  amount  do  you  —  the  cost  of  the  journey. 

Expose,  expound. 

64.  Daniel  Webster  — d  the  Constitution  of  the  United  Stales. 

65.  Daniel  Webster  — d  the  villany  of  the  Knapps. 

66.  The  text  was  well  — d  in  the  sermon. 

67.  It  is  the  business  of  the  police  to  —  vice. 

Insure,  secure. 

68.  Will  you  —  my  factory  against  fire  ? 

69.  For  woods  before  and  hills  behind 
—  it  both  from  rain  and  wind. 

70.  The  cargoes  of  ocean  steamers  are  generally  fully  — d. 

71.  The  city  is  — d  by  strong  fortifications. 

72.  How  are  we  to  —  to  labor  its  due  honor  ? 

73.  To  enjoy  the  benefits  which  the  liberty  of  the  press  — s,  we 
must  submit  to  the  evils  which  it  creates. 

Investigate,  inquire. 

74.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  —  the  needs  of  the  laboring 
classes. 

75.  I  will  —  his  name  and  rank. 

76.  Edison  has  been  busy  —ing  the  nature  of  electricity. 

77.  A  commission  was  appointed  to  —  the  causes  of  the  strike. 

Let,  leave. 

78.  Please  —  me  take  you  to  town. 

79.  We  —  that  to  the  judgment  of  the  umpire. 


OF  VERBS  105 

80.  Pharaoh  said,  "I  will  —  you  go." 

81.  Why  do  you  —  your  house  go  to  ruin  ? 
83.  Peace  I  —  with  you. 

83.  I  will  —  you  know  my  decision  to-morrow. 

84.  Please  —  me  out  at  the  corner  of  Twenty-third  Street. 

85.  —  us  free  to  act. 

86.  —go! 

87.  —  the  beggar  in. 

88.  —  us  —  him  to  himself. 

89.  He  —  the  cat  out  of  the  bag. 

Locate,  find. 

90.  The  missing  man  has  at  last  been  — d  by  the  police  in  Kan- 
sas City. 

91.  The  part  of  the  city  in  wliich  the  mint  is  — d. 

Persuade,  advise. 

93.  Almost  thou  — st  me  to  be  a  Christian. 

93.  I  — d  him  to  take  a  walk  every  day,  but  I  could  not  —  him 
to  do  it. 

94.  Columbus  was  — d  to  give  up  the  thought  of  sailing  west- 
ward in  search  of  the  Indies. 

95.  When  in  mid-ocean,  Columbus  was  — d  to  alter  his  coursa 

Predicate,  predict. 

96.  This  very  result  was  — d  two  years  ago. 

97.  Ambition  may  be  — d  as  the  predominant  trait  in  Napoleon's 
character. 

98.  He  — s  that  the  month  of  July  will  be  rainy. 

99.  Disaster  to  the  voyage  was  — d  by  the  enemies  of  Columbus. 

Prescribe,  proscribe. 

100.  Sylla  and  Marius  — d  each  other's  adherents. 

101.  The  doctor  — d  quinine  in  doses  of  four  grains  each. 

103.  It  is  easier  to  —  principles  of  conduct  than  to  follow  them. 

103.  The  Puritans  — d  theatres. 

104.  The  number  of  electors  is  — d  by  law. 

Purpose,  propose. 

105.  I  don't  —  to  let  you  escape  so  easily. 

106.  I  —  that  we  go  boating. 

107.  We  — d  to  go  to-morrow,  but  I  fear  the  rain  will  prevent  us. 

108.  I  —  to  work  hard  this  year. 


106  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

109.  Bassanio  — d  to  pay  the  bond  thrice  over,  but  Shylock  de- 
clined the  offer,  for  he  — d,  if  possible,  to  lake  Autonio's  life. 

Repulse,  repel. 

110.  He  gently  — d  theif  entreaties. 

111.  Tlje  charge  of  Pickett's  troops  at  Gettysburg  was  — d. 

Start,  begin,  commence. 

112.  Rosalind  tells  Orlando  to  —  his  courtship,  and  he  wishes  to 

—  with  a  kiss. 

113.  The  Spectator  was  —(d)  by  Steele. 

114.  We  have  —(d)  Homer's  "Iliad." 

115.  We  have  — (d)  to  find  out  our  ignorance. 

116.  We  —  to  feel  that  perhaps  Darcy  is  not  very  bad,  after  all. 

117.  We  — (d)  in  an  omnibus  at  seven  o'clock. 

118.  She  has  — (d)  to  study  French. 

119.  Franklin's  voyage  was  —(d)  under  unpleasant  circumstances. 

120.  It  — (d)  to  rain  in  torrents. 

121.  The  play  has  —(d). 

122.  Hostilities  have  —(d). 

123.  The  people  of   Philadelphia   were   so  much   pleased   with 
Franklin's  pavement  that  they  — (d)  paving  all  the  streets. 

Suspect,  expect,  anticipate. 

124.  I  —  that  my  grandfather  was  a  wild  lad. 

125.  I  —  great  pleasure  from  our  association  in  this  work. 

126.  The  burglars  —  that  detectives  are  on  their  tracks,  but  they 

—  to  elude  the  officers  by  hiding  in  the  country. 

127.  I  was  determined  to  —  their  fury  by  first  falling  into  a  pas- 
sion myself. 

128.  I  —  that  my  father  will  come  on  a  late  train  to-night. 

129.  I  —  that  the  rogue  thinks  himself  safe  from  detection. 

130.  The  death  of  the  general  is  hourly  — ed. 

EXERCISE   LXI. 

Tell  why  the  italicized  words  in  the  following  sentences  are  misused, 
and  substitute  f 01'  them  better  expressions: — 

1.  The  death  of  his  son  greatly  effected  him. 

2.  The  Prince  of  Wales  does  not  propose  to  send  a  challenge  to 
the  owner  of  the  yacht  Puritan. 

3.  He  is  learning  me  to  ride  a  bicycle. 


OF   VERBS  107 

4.  I  cauuot  predicate  what  may  hereafter  happen. 

5.  Will  you  loan  me  your  sled  for  this  afternoon  ? 

6.  It  is  even  stated  on  tlie  best  of  authority  that  the  Minneapolis 
is  capable  of  attaining  a  speed  of  twenty-four  knots  an  hour,  and  of 
keeping  it  up. 

7.  Miss  Duhe  claims  that  the  clairvoyant  divulged  many  things 
that  were  known  to  her  only. 

8.  It  is  evident  that  whatever  transpired  during  the  interview 
was  informal  and  private. 

9.  There  is  little  in  the  "Elegy "to  locate  the  church-yard  which 
is  referred  to. 

10.  He  says  he  cannot  except  the  invitation.  * 

11.  Is  the  Governor's  wife  stopping  at  the  Springs  Hotel? 

13.  Dr.  H.'s  well-known  views  have  led  him  to  cliampion  the  cause 
of  Dr.  B. 

13.  I  do  not  propose  to  disrespect^  the  Sabbath. 

14.  Macaulay  says  Voltaire  gestured'^  like  a  monkey. 

15.  I  love  to  see  kittens  play. 

16.  I  expect  he  must  have  arrived  last  night. 

17.  I  calculate  it  will  rain  soon, 

18.  This  dry  weather  argues  ill  for  the  corn  crop. 

19.  Mrs.  Dennett  broke  open  the  door,  and  found  a  startling  state 
of  affairs.  In  the  hallway  her  daughter  Grace  was  lying  prostrate, 
and  seemed  to  be  in  an  unconscious  state.  She  awoke  her  daughter, 
who,  after  she  had  regained  her  senses,  related  what  had  transpired. 

20.  Elizabeth  alloioed  that  he  had  given  a  very  rational  account  of  it. 

21.  He  calculates  to  go  to-morrow  morning. 

22.  The  Abbe  was  beheaded,  not  hung. 

23.  I  am  looking  for  a  fault  which  I  cannot  exactly  locate. 

24.  James  W.  Reed,  who  mysteriously  disappeared  several  weeks 
ago,  has  been  located  in  England. 

25.  I  expect  you  feel  tired  after  your  long  walk. 

26.  The  strike  of  the  tailors,  which  it  was  claimed  would  transpire 
yesterday,  failed  to  materialize. 

27.  Do  you  allow  to  go  to  town  to-day  ? 

28.  She  tried  to  locate  the  places  whence  the  sounds  came. 

29.  Floods  in  all  directions.  Middle  and  New  England  States  en- 
joy their  annual  freshets.^ 

30.  I  had  hard  work  to  restrain'^  from  taking  some. 

'  Consult  a  dictionary,  ^  Heading  in  a  newspaper. 


108  niACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 

EXERCISE   LXII.> 

Illustrate  hy  original  sentences  tlie  proper  use  of  each  of  these  terhs: — 
Allow,  learn,  leave,  let,  loan,  locate,  accede,  accredit,  credit,  arise, 
rise,  captivate,  depreciate,  deprecate,  impugn,  impute,  like,  love,  an- 
tagonize, champion,  calculate,  bring,  carry,  fetch,  claim,  assert,  allege, 
maintain,  admit,  confess,  demand,  hire,  let,  lease,  materialize,  plead, 
argue,  state,  slop,  transpire,  accept,  except,  advertise,  advise,  affect, 
effect,  alleviate,  relieve,  augur,  compare  to,  compare  with,  contrast, 
construe,  construct,  convince,  convict,  detect,  discriminate,  disclose, 
discover,  dominate,  domineer,  drive,  ride,  eliminate,  elicit,  insure,  se- 
cure, esteem,  estimate,  expose,  expound,  investigate,  persuade,  con- 
vince, predicate,  predict,  prescribe,  proscribe,  purpose,  propose,  re- 
pulse, start,  suspect,  expect,  anticipate. 

'  See  Note  to  Teacher,  p.  41. 


CHAPTER  VT 

OF    ADJECTIVES    AND    ADVERBS 

An  adjective  is  a  word  joined  by  way  of  description  or 
limitation  to  a  noun  or  a  pronoun. 

An  ADVERB  is  a  word  joined  by  way  of  limitation  or  em- 
phasis to  a  verb,  an  adjective,  or  another  adverb. 

Vulgarisms." — Every  educated  person  is  expected  to 
know  the  correct  use  of  the  following  words  : — 

Good,  vfeU.— Good  is  an  adjective;  the  adverb  corresponding  to  it 
is  well.  We  say,  "He  bad  a  good  sleep;"  "He  slept  well."  Well  is 
sometimes  an  adjective,  as  in  "  You  look  well" 

Likely,  probably,  lilie.— Li kelt/  is  now  used  as  an  adjective  only,  ex- 
cept in  the  phrase  "As  likely  as  not;"  the  corresponding  adverb  is 
probably.  We  say,  "  He  is  likely  to  come ;"  "  He  will  probably  come." 
Like  as  an  adjective  means  "similar,"  as,  "Men  of  like  excellence;" 
"  He  looks  like  liis  grandfatliei- ;"  "  He  was  a  man  of  like  passions  as 
we  are."  In  the  sense  of  "in  the  same  manner  as"  like  is  followed 
by  a  noun  or  a  pronoun  in  the  objective  case,  and  is  called  by  some 
an  adverb,  b)'  others  a  preposition:  as,  "He  talks  like  her." 

Less,  fewer,  smaller.— Zdss  refers  to  quantity,  fewer  to  number, 
smaller  to  size. 

Most,  aXmost.— Most  denotes  "the  greatest  number,  quantit}^  or  de- 
gree.". It  is  always  superlative  and  never  means  "nearly,"  which  is 
the  proper  meaning  of  almost.  We  say,  "Most  of  the  boys  are  here; 
the  time  has  almost  come," 

Near,  nearly.— Am?"  is  an  adjective;  the  corresponding  adverb  is 
nearly. 

Plenty  is  now  in  good  use  as  a  noun  only,  as  "  Plenty  of  corn  and 
wine.'"'     Shakespeare  used  the  word  as  an  adjective  in  "Reasons 

'  "Foundations,"  pp.  118-120.  ^  gee  page  32. 


110  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

as  plenty  as  blackberries,"  but  this  use  is  obsolete.  The  use  of 
plenty  as  an  adverb,  as  "The  food  is  plenty  good  enough,"  is  a  vul- 
garism. 

Some,  somewhat,  something.— ^Some  is  an  adjective,  as,  "  Some  wa- 
ter;" "Some  brighter  clime."  Somewhat  is  an  adverb,  as,  "He  is 
somewlmt  better."  "  Somewhat"  is  occasionally  used  as  a  noun,  as, 
"Somewhat  of  doubt  remains,"  but  in  this  sense  sometMng  is  more 
common. 

This,  these;  that,  those.— T/ziS  (pluial  these)  and  that  (plural  t1wse) 
are  the  only  adjectives  in  English  that  have  distinct  forms  for  tlie 
plural.  A  common  mistake  is  to  use  the  plural  forms  with  singular 
collective  nouns,  as  "kind,"  "class,"  "sort." 

First,  second,  secondly,  etc. — First  is  bolh  adjective  and  adverb. 
Second,  tJdrd,  elc,  ave  adjectives  only;  the  corresponding  adverbs 
are  secondly,  thirdly,  etc.     Firstly  is  a  vulgarism. 

Everywheres,  illy,  lesser,  light-complected,  muchly,  nowhere  near,  un- 
beknown are  not  in  reputable  use. 

EXERCISE  LXIIL 

Insert  the  proper  word  in  each  blank,  a7id  give  the  reason  for  your 

^^^^^■^•—  Good,  well. 

1.  George  played  —  in  the  football  game  this  afternoon  ;  he  is  a 
—  runner. 

2.  She  embroiders  very  — . 

3.  The  draperies  do  not  hang  as  —  as  I  thought  they  would. 

4.  Your  coat  fits  you  very  — . 

5.  He  always  behaves  — . 

6.  This  pen  will  not  write  — . 

7.  He  did  the  work  as  —  as  I  could  expect. 

8.  This  is  a  —  picture  ;  the  artist  paints  — . 

9.  Mr.  A.  is  a  —  workman.     See  how  —  he  has  laid  this  hearth. 

10.  George  writes  — . 

11.  Charles  does  not  look  —  to-day. 

12.  He  says  he  does  not  feel  — . 

Likely,  probably,  like. 

13.  It  became  evident  that  the  duke  ^vas  not  —  to  have  his  own 
way  in  the  assembly. 

14.  There  is  a  difEerence  between  what  may  possibly  and  what 
may  —  be  done. 


OF   ADJECTIVES   AND   ADVERBS  HI 

15.  Just  as  —  as  not  j'oii  will  meet  liim  ou  the  road. 

16.  He  is  —  to  die  of  liuugcr. 

17.  He  will  —  die  of  hunger. 

18.  It  seems  —  that  he  will  be  elected. 

19.  —  he  will  be  elected. 

20.  Japan  will  —  defeat  China. 

21.  If  a  man  does  not  care  for  himself,  it  is  oot  —  that  he  will  care 
much  for  others. 

32.  They  are  as  —  as  two  peas. 

23.  Tell  me  who  is  married,  and  who  is  —  to  be. 

24.  This  is  a  —  story. 

25.  As  —  as  not  you  love  her  yourself. 

Less,  fewer,  smaller. 

26.  A  proper  fraction  is  —  than  a  unit,  because  it  expresses  — 
parts  than  a  unit  contains. 

27.  I  caught  seven  fish ;  Carl  caught  a  —  number. 

28.  Look  for  no  —  punishment  than  death. 

29.  I  saw  not  —  than  twenty  beggars  to-day. 

30.  Rebellion  is  sometimes  a  —  evil  than  endurance. 

31.  Not  —  than  twelve  banks  in  New  York  failed  to-day. 

32.  We  have  —  than  a  half  a  ton  of  coal  left. 

33.  People  who  live  in  the  country  have  —  things  to  talk  about 
than  city  people. 

34.  He  received  —  good  than  he  conferred. 

35.  I  have  —  books  than  you. 


36. 

There  were  —  people  there  than  I  expected 

Most,  almost. 

37. 

I  have  —  finished  my  lesson. 

38. 

You  will  find  me  in  my  office  —  any  day. 

39. 

—  men  dread  death. 

40. 

We  come  here  —  every  summer. 

41. 

We  have  —  done. 

42.  This  wheat  is  —  too  thick. 

43.  Though  I  saw  —  everylhiug  else,  I  failed  to  see  Hagenbeck's 
trained  animals. 

44.  —  everybody  has  imperfect  eyes. 

45.  The  old  man's  strength  is  —  gone. 

46.  —  boys  like  play. 

47.  It  rains  in  some  places  —  every  day. 

48.  —  all  flowers  are  beautiful. 


112  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Near,  nearly. 

49.  It  isn't  —  finished  yet. 

50.  We  are  —  the  end  of  the  lesson. 

51.  I  am  —  suffocated. 

53.  We  are  not  —  through  our  work. 

53.  He  is  not  —  so  young  as  L 

54.  I  will  answer  you  as  —  as  I  can  remember. 

55.  We  are  —  the  end  of  the  term  ;  our  school-days  are  —  over. 

56.  Mr.  Patterson  came  very  —  breaking  the  greatest  record  ever 
made  in  America. 

Some,  somewhat,  something. 

57.  Thank  you,  I  feel  —  better  this  morning. 

58.  —  attempted,  —  done,  has  earned  a  night's  repose. 

59.  He  resembles  his  father  — . 

60.  She  felt  —  encouraged  by  this  (these)  news. 

61.  —  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him. 
63.  He  knows  —  of  Arabic. 

63.  We  came  back  —  sooner  than  we  intended. 

64.  If  a  man  thinkeih  himself  to  be  —  when  he  is  nothing,  he  de- 
ceiveth  himself. 

65.  Dorothy  looks  —  like  her  mother. 

66.  Yes,  I'm  —  frightened,  I  admit. 

67.  It  provoked  me  — . 

68.  A  widow,  —  old,  and  very  poor. 

This,  these ;  that,  those. 

69.  You  will  always  see  —  kind  of  man  lounging  in  front  of  tav- 
erns. 

70.  Take  up  —  ashes. 

71.  —  pile  of  clothes  is  (are)  to  be  carried  to  the  laundry. 
73.  —  kind  of  tree  is  (are)  common  in  Pennsylvania. 

73.  —  brass  tongs  cost  three  dollars. 

74.  • —  class  will  be  graduated  in  June. 

75.  In  New  England  there  is  not  one  country-house  in  fifty  which 
has  not  its  walls  ornamented  with  half  a  score  of  poems  of  —  sort. 

76.  How  do  you  like  —  style  of  shoe  ? 

77.  Do  you  like  —  sort  of  pen  ? 

78.  —  sort  of  person  is  always  entei'taining. 

79.  Look  at  —  assortment  of  knives. 

80.  Beware  of  —  kind  of  dog. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  113 

81.  Problems  of  —  sort  are  very  easy  to  solve. 

82.  Young  ladies  should  let  —  sort  of  lliiug  alone. 

First,  second,  secondly,  etc. 

83.  I  shall  —  show  vrhy  we  should  worship  God,  and  —  explain 
how  we  should  worship  hjm. 

84.  Adam  was  formed  — ,  then  Eve. 

85.  Let  us  consider  —  what  the  young  ruler  desired ;  — ,  what  he 
had  ;  — ,  what  he  lacked. 

86.  My  —  proposition  is  that  the  measure  is  unnecessary ;  my  — , 
that  it  is  unjust;  my  — ,  that  it  is  unconstitutional. 

87.  I  will  not  lie;  I  will  die  — . 

88.  I  like  the  old  English  ballads  because,  — ,  they  are  very  quaint ; 
— ,  they  show  the  derivations  of  many  of  our  words ;  and,  — ,  they 
show  different  steps  which  our  language  has  taken  in  becoming 
what  it  is. 

Adjective  or  Adverb.' — Illiterate  persons  often  forget 
that  adjectives  go  with  nouns  and  pronouns,  but  adverbs 
with  verbs,  adjectives,  and  adverbs.  Even  cultivated  per- 
sons are  sometimes  in  doubt  whether  to  use  an  adjective  or 
an  adverb  after  certain  verbs,  as  "  grow,"  "  look,"  "  sound," 
"  smell,"  "  taste."  If  the  added  word  applies  to  the  sub- 
ject of  the  verb,  it  should  be  an  adjective ;  if  to  the  verb, 
it  should  be  an  adverb.  We  say  "We  feel  warm,''''  when 
we  mean  that  we  are  warm  ;  we  say  "  We  feel  warmly  on 
this  subject,"  when  we  mean  that  our  feeling  is  warm. 
"As  a  rule,  it  is  proper  to  use  an  adjective  whenever  some 
form  of  the  verb  'to  be'  or  'to  seem'  may  be  substituted 
for  the  verb,  an  adverb  when  no  such  substitution  can  be 
made."'  Thus,  "He  looked  angry;  he  spoke  angrily.'''' 
Sometimes  we  may  use  either  adjective  or  adverb  with  no 
difference  in  meaning  :  as,  "  We  were  sitting  quiet  {quietly) 
round  the  fire." 

Regarding  the  form  of  adverbs,  ill-taught  pupils  often 
suppose  that  all  words  ending  in   "-ly"  are  adverbs,  and 

1  "Foundations,"  pp.  120-123.  '  Ibid.,  p.  121. 


114:  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

that  all  adverbs  end  in  "-ly."  A  glance  at  the  italicized 
words  in  the  following  expressions  will  remove  this  delu- 
sion :  "  Come  heref  "  very  pretty;"  "  he  then  rose  ;"  "  lay  it 
lengthioisef  "he  fell  backward  f^  "run  fast /^  "now  it  is 
done;"  "a.  friendly  Indian;"  "a  buzzing yTy."  Though  no 
comprehensive  rule  can  be  given  for  the  form  of  adverbs, 
which  must  be  learned  for  the  most  part  by  observation, 
it  may  be  helpful  to  know  that  most  "adjectives  of  qual- 
ity," like  gentle,  true,  take  the  suffix  "-ly  "  to  make  a  corre- 
sponding adverb;  and  that  the  comparative  and  superla- 
tive degrees  of  adverbs  ending  in  "-ly"  usually  prefix 
more  and  inost. 

EXERCISE  LXIV. 

Which  of  the  italicized  words  is  correct? — 

1.  Write  careful  {carefully). 

2.  His  teacher  spoke  cold  {coldly)  to  bim  after  she  found  he  had 
acted  dishonor'able  {dishono7'ably). 

3.  Speak  slow  {slowly)  und  distinct  {distinctly). 

4.  He  behaved  bad  {badly). 

5.  He  is  a  remarkable  {remarkably)  good  shot. 

6.  They  were  in  a  terrible  {terribly)  dangerous  position. 

7.  I  am  ouly  tolerable  {tolerably)  well,  §ir. 

8.  He  acted  very  different  {differently)  from  his  brother. 

9.  It  is  discouraging  to  see  how  bad  {badly)  the  affairs  of  our  na- 
tion are  sometiaies  managed. 

10.  He  writes  plainer  {more  plainly)  than  lie  once  did. 

11.  You  are  exceeding  {exceedingly)  kind. 

12.  He  struggled  manful  {manfully)  against  the  waves. 

13.  You  have  been  wrong  {wrongly)  informed. 

14.  Sure  {surely)  he  is  a  fine  gentleman. 

15.  She  dresses  suitable  {suitably)  to  her  station. 

16.  That  part  of  the  work  was  managed  easy  {easily)  enough. 

17.  You  behaved  very  proper  {properly). 

18.  I  can  read  easier  {more  easily)  than  I  can  write. 

19.  She  knew  her  lesson  perfect  {perfectly)  to-day. 

20.  I  Wvufree  {freely)  from  care. 

21.  Lessons  are  easiest  {most  easily)  learned  in  the  morning. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  115 

22.  Walk  as  quiet  {quietly)  as  you  can. 

33.  He  acted  independent  (^independently). 

24.  He  spoke  quite  decided  {decidedly). 

25.  We  ought  to  value  our  privileges  higher  {moi'e  highly). 

26.  He  was  ill  (illy)  equipped  for  the  journey.' 

27.  Relative  {relatively)  to  its  size,  an  ant  is  ten  times  stronger  than 
I  man. 

28.  That  will  ill  {illy)  accord  with  my  notions.' 

29.  He  is  an  exceeding  {exceedingly)  good  boy. 

30.  One  can  scarce  {scarcely)  help  smiling  at  the  blindness  of  this 
critic. 

31.  I  had  studied  grammar  previous  {previously)  to  his  instructing 
me,  but  to  no  purpose. 

EXERCISE   LXV. 

Distinguish  between — 

1.  We  found  the  way  easy  (easily). 

2.  The  prunes  are  boiling  soft  (softly). 

3.  He  appeared  prompt  (promptly). 

4.  It  looks  good  (well). 

5.  We  arrived  safe  (safely). 

EXERCISE  LXVI. 

Wliich  of  the  italicized  words  is  preferablef     Give  the  reason : — 

1.  Velvet  feels  smooth  {smoothly). 

2.  Clouds  sail  slow  {slowly)  through  the  air. 

3.  This  carriage  rides  easy  {easily). 

4.  How  sioeet  {sweetly)  these  roses  smell  ! 

5.  They  felt  very  had  (Jmdly)  at  being  beaten.^ 

6.  Your  piano  sounds  different  {differently)  from  ours. 

7.  The  storm  is  v&g\ng  furious  {furiously). 

8.  This  milk  tastes  sour  {sourly). 

9.  The  soldiers  fought  gallant  {gallantly). 

10.  She  looked  cold  {coldly)  on  his  offer  of  marriage. 

11.  Ethel  looks  sweet  {sweetly)  in  a  wiiite  gown. 

12.  How  beautiful  {beautifully)  the  stars  appear  tonight ! 

13.  This  coat  goes  on  easy  {easily). 

14.  How  beautiful  {peautifully)  Katharine  looks  this  morning. 

1  See  page  110.  ^  gee  "Foundations,"  p.  121. 


116  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 

15.  Luther  stood  Jirm  {firmly)  in  spite  of  abuse. 

16.  It  looks  strange  {strangely)  to  see  you  here. 

17.  Deal  gentle  {gently)  with  them. 

18.  The  cry  sounded  shrill  {shrilly). 

19.  Larks  sing  sweet  {sweetly). 

20.  He  felt  awkward  {awkwardly)  in  the  presence  of  ladies. 

21.  He  has  acted  strange  {strangely). 
23.  The  water  feels  warm  {warmly). 

23.  We  feel  warm  {warmly)  on  that  subject. 

24.  The  dead  warrior  \ookQd  fierce  {fiercely). 

25.  The  wind  blows  very  cold  {coldly)  to-day. 

26.  War  clouds  rolling  dun  {dimly). 

27.  The  shutters  are  ■painted' green  {greenly). 

28.  She  works  good  {icell)  and  neat  {neatly). 

29.  Protestants  believe  that  the  bread  of  the  Lord's  supper  is  not 
real  {really)  changed,  hut  remains  real  {really)  bread. 

30.  Homer  says  the  blood  of  the  gods  is  not  real  {really)  blood,  but 
only  something  like  it. 

31.  Real  {really)  kings  hide  away  their  crowns  in  their  wardrobes, 
and  affect  a  plain  and  poor  exterior. 

Alone,  only. — "  In  the  Bible  and  earber  English  alone  is 
often  used  for  the  adverb  07ily,  but  it  is  now  becoming  re- 
stricted to  its  own  sense  of  '  solitary,'  '  unaccompanied  by 
other  persons  or  things' ;"  *  as,  "  He  rode  all  unarmed,  and 
he  rode  all  alone.^''      Only  is  both  adjective  and  adverb. 

EXERCISE  LXVII. 

Fill  each  blank  with  the  proper  word  {"only,"  "alone  ") : — • 

1.  She  —  of  all  the  family  had  courage  to  go  —  into  that  darkened 
room. 

2.  These  books  are  sold  in  sets  — . 

3.  Man  cannot  live  on  bread  — . 

4.  This  fault  —  is  enough  to  make  her  disagreeable. 

5.  By  chance  —  did  he  escape  the  gallows. 

6.  Not  —  at  Ejjhesus,  but  throughout  all  Asia,  Paul  persuaded 
many  people. 

'  The  Century  Dictionary. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  117 

7.  To  be  successful  a  school  paper  must  be  supported,  not  —  with 
subscriptions,  but  also  with  contributions. 

Omitted  Adverbs.' — Adverbs  necessary  to  the  sense  should 
not  be  onutled.  Tliis  fault  is  especially  common  after  so, 
too,  and  very — words  which,  as  they  express  degree,  prop- 
erly qualify  adjectives  or  adverbs,  and  not  verbs  or  parti- 
ciples ;  also  after  behave,  which,  like  the  noun  "  behavior," 
requires  a  qualifying  word  to  determine  the  meaning. 

EXERCISE   LXVIII. 

Supply  the  omitted  adverbs : — 

1.  He  was  very  struck  by  what  she  said. 

2.  I  wisli  you  would  behave. 

3.  The  king  was  very  dissatisfied  with  his  wife. 

4.  I  have  too  trusted  to  my  own  wild  wants. 

5.  If  you  cannot  behave  yourself,  you  had  better  stay  at  home. 

6.  We  are  very  pleased  to  see  you. 

Redundant  Adjectives  and  Adverbs.^ — A  word  that  is 
not  needed  is  said  to  be  "  redundant."  Redundant  expres- 
sions should  be  carefully  avoided. 

EXERCISE   LXIX. 

Strike  out  tlie  useless  adjectives  and  adverbs: — 
1.  From  thence  they  marched  twenty  miles. 
3.  Which  do  you  prefer  most,  apples  or  oranges  ? 

3.  Whenever  I  meet  him  he  always  stops  me. 

4.  Celia  wished  to  accompany  Rosalind ;  therefore  they  both  set 
out  together. 

■'    5.  The  view  from  the  top  is  simply  beautiful. 

6.  Finally  Rosalind  disclosed  her  true  identity. 

7.  The  exercises  are  appointed  for  2  p.m.  to-morrow  afternoon. 

8.  There  are  numerous  mountain  streams  all  throughout  this 
region  which  abound  in  bi'ook  trout. 

9.  The  centrai'pith  of  the  report  is  as  follows. 

10.  Secluded  and  alone,  he  now  partook  of  his  solitary  repast, 
which  he  entirely  consumed. 

1  "Foundations,"  p.  123.  "  Ibid.,  pp.  123-125. 


118  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

11.  Out  of  the  second  term  I  tookT»Ht  the  factor  x. 

12.  Right  "in  behind  East  Rock  we  have  a  beautiful  lake. 

13.  When  everything  was -aH- ready  ,tliey  started  off. 
*■  ■  14.  He  was  a  boy  of  eighteen  years "WtfT 

15.  If  the  ground  is  uneven  they  just  level  ittrff  with  a  shovel. 

16.  Once  thcfrwo  twins  were  shipwrecked  while  on  a  sailing  voy- 
age. 

17.  The  purple  bird  was  <rnTO  a  royal  king  named  Picus. 

18.  A  large  search-light  will  show  a  sail  at  a  distance  of  three  or 
four  miles  Tn«k.y. 

19.  Each  of  the  provinces  was  ruled  (W^ei^by  a  duke. 

20.  When  he  returned  he  entered-rnto  the  printing  business. 

21.  He  had  a  good  chance  to  shift  &ff  the  sky  to  the  shoulders  of 
Hercules. 

22.  The  mud  falls  off  from  the  wheels  and  makes  the  street  dirty. 

23.  An  old  merchant  of  Syracuse,  named  ^geon,  had  iw*  twin 
sons. 

24.  He  was  almost  universally  admired  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

25.  Pret-ty  soon  the  man's  hands  began  to  get  all  blistered, 

26.  Before  you  go  y<>umuat  first  finish  your  work. 

27.  He  did  it  equally-as  well  as  his  friends. 

28.  It  must  be  ten  years  ftgcLsince  he  left  town. 

29.  Collect  together -ail-the  fragments. 

30.  The  play  opens  -a4i_with  a  scene  in  a  forest. 

31.  He  has  the  uuivcistll  good-will  of  everybody. 

32.  Please  raise  -viji  the  window. 

33.  The  story  ends  »p..happily. 

34.  They  always  entered  school  -together  every" inoi-niag. 

35.  Out  of  the  entire  pack  Oftly-two  dogs  remained. 

36.  He  went  away,  but  soon  reappeared  again. 

37.  A  monstrous  large  snake  crawled  ■»»*  from  under  the  identical 
stone  on  which  you  are  this  very  minute  sitting. 

38.  I  was  deceived  by  false  misrepresentations. 

39.  This  question  opened  up  the  whole  subject. 

40.  Let  us,  however,  endeavor  to  trace  up  some  of  this  hearsay  evi- 
dence as  far  towards  its  source  as  we  £|,re  able. 

41.  I  will  see  you  later  on. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  119 

Misused  Adjectives  and  Adverbs.'  —  See  the  remarks 
under  "Misused  Nouns."  An  amusing  illustration  of  mis- 
used adjectives  was  furnished  by  an  illiterate  man  who 
introduced  his  second  wife  to  a  friend  as  "  My  late  wife." 


Aggravating,  irritating.— In  good  use  aggravating  ■me?iU^  "making 
lieuvier,  more  grave,  worse  in  some  way."  It  is  often  misused  for 
irritating,  exasperating,  or  provoking. 

All,  the  whole.— See  page  120. 

Apt,  likely,  liable.  — ^^Ji!  implies  a  natural  predisposition,  an  ha- 
bitual tendency.  "Likely  implies  a  probability  of  whatever  charac- 
ter; liable,  an  unpleasant  probability."'^  One  is  apt  to  speak  quick- 
ly, fo"A;e?^  to  hear  good  news,  liable  to  be  hurt. 

Both,  each,  every.— iJo!"//^,  meaning  "the  two,  and  not  merely  one 
of  them,"  groups  objects,  as,  "Both  were  men  of  hot  temper." 
Each  means  "all  of  any  number,  considered  one  by  one,"  as,  "  EacJi 
boy  recited  in  his  turn."  Every  means  "all  of  any  number,  consid- 
ered as  composing  a  group  or  class,"  as,  "  Every  pupil  should  have 
a  dictionary  and  use  it  freely."  "Every  dii-ects  attention  chiefly  to 
the  totality,  each  chiefly  to  the  individuals  composing  it.  It  may 
also  be  observed  that  each  usually  refers  to  a  numerically  definite 
group.  .  .  .  Thus,  'Each  theory  is  open  to  objection'  relates  to  an 
uuderstood  enumeration  of  theories,  but  'Every  theory  is  open  to 
objection '  refers  to  all  theories  that  may  exist."' 

Many,  much.— Jl/«?i?/  refers  to  number,  much  to  quantity. 

Mutual,  common.— Mutual  properly  means  "reciprocal,"  "inter- 
changed." It  is  often  misused  for  common  in  the  sense  of  "belong- 
ing equally  to  both  or  all,"  especially  in  the  phrase,  "  A  mutual 
friend." 

Partly,  partially.— "P«r%,  in  the  sense  of  'in  part,'  is  preferable 
\o  partially,  ?>mce  partially  also  means  'with  partialitJ^' "* 

Quite,  very.— Quite  properly  means  "entirely";  in  the  sense  of 
"  very  "  or  "  to  a  considerable  degree  "  it  is  not  in  good  use. 

So-as,  as-as.— Both  so  and  as  are  used  as  adverbs  of  degree  correla- 
tive with  the  conjunction  "as";  unless  there  is  a  negative  in  the 

•  "Foundations,"  p.  125.         "^  Ibid.,  p.  128.  ^  Murray's  Dictionary. 

*  A.  S.  Hill:  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  19. 


120  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

clause  as  is  generally  used ;  with  a  negative  so  is  preferable  to  as 
We  say  "  It  is  as  cold  as  ice,"  "  It  is  not  so  good  as  it  looks." 

EXERCISE  LXX. 

Tell  the  difference  in  meaning  betioeen — 

1.  The  circumstances  of  the  offense  are  aggravating  (exasperat 
ing). 

2.  She  gave  an  orange  to  both  (each)  of  them. 

3.  Each  (every)  man  has  his  faults. 

4.  I  had  a  call  from  both  (each)  of  the  boys, 

5.  He  is  apt  (likely)  to  win  the  race. 

6.  A  mutual  (common)  friendship. 

7.  The  weekly  reports  are  partially  (partly)  made  out. 

EXERCISE  LXXI. 

Insert  the  proper  word  in  each  blank: — 

Aggravating,  irritating. 

1.  Some  of  his  remarks  were  — . 

2.  The  prisoner  said  his  wife's  conduct  had  been  very  — . 

3.  He  has  an  —  manner. 

4.  He  was  too  —  by  half. 

5.  The  murder  was  committed  under  —  circumstances. 

All,  the  whole. 

6.  —  (of)  the  boys  were  sent  off  at  a  day's  notice  to  their  homes. 

[For  additional  exercises,  see  page  125]. 

Apt,  likely,  liable. 

7.  An  industrious  man  is  —  to  succeed. 

8.  The  ship  was  —  to  founder  at  any  moment. 

9.  Bad  books  are  —  to  corrupt  the  reader. 

10.  If  a  man  does  not  care  for  himself,  he  is  not  —  to  care  much 
for  other  people. 

11.  Youth  is  —  to  err. 

12.  Any  kind  of  taxation  is  —  to  be  looked  on  as  a  grievance. 

13.  We  are  constantly  —  to  accidents. 

14.  Men  are  —  to  think  well  of  themselves,  their  nation,  their 
courage,  and  their  strength. 

Both,  each,  every. 

15.  —  of  them  has  (have)  taken  a  different  course. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND   ADVERBS  121 

16.  —  went  his  way. 

17.  He  told  me  to  invite  —  brother  and  sister. 

18.  He  gave  his  hand  to  —  of  them. 

19.  In  —  cheek  (cheeks)  appears  a  pretty  dimple. 

20.  I  am  feeling  better  in  —  way. 

21.  The  oak  and  the  elm  have  —  a  distinct  character. 

22.  He'll  be  hanged  yet,  though  —  drop  of  water  swear  against  it. 

23.  —  soldier  has  a  musket,  and  —  one  fires  as  fast  as  he  can. 

24.  —  inhabitant,  male  or  female,  young  or  old,  was  there. 

25.  In  —  ten  women  that  the  gods  make,  the  devils  mar  five. 

26.  There  is  a  row  of  beautiful  elm-trees  on  —  side(s)  of  the  road. 

Many,  much. 

27.  We  saw  as  —  as  twenty  tramps.' 

28.  He  blames  his  uncle  for  —  of  his  misfortune. 

29.  I  found  that  —  of  the  accidents  on  this  railroad  are  caused  by 
negligence. 

30.  How  —  of  your  peaches  have  you  sold  ? 

Mutual,  common. 

31.  Charles  and  his  wife  were  happy  in  their  —  love. 

32.  They  parted  with  —  good  feeling. 

33.  We  have  a  —  friend  in  Mr.  Phelps. 

34.  I  find,  Miss  Vernon,  that  we  have  some  —  friends. 

Partly,  partially. 

35.  Beware  of  acting  — . 

36.  All  men  are  —  buried  in  the  grave  of  custom. 

37.  This  is  —  true. 

38.  The  city  of  York  is  —  surrounded  by  a  wall. 

Quite,  very. 

39.  The  country  is  —  open. 

40.  The  snow  has  —  covered  the  ground. 

41.  Books  —  worthless  are  —  harmless. 

42.  The  island  is  —  close  to  the  mainland. 

43.  He  was  —  dead  when  they  found  him. 

44.  You  are  —  mistaken. 

45.  He  is —  ill. 

So-as,  as-as. 

46.  She  is  —  amiable  as  she  is  beautiful. 

47.  He  is  —  tall  as  his  brother,  but  not  —  tall  as  I. 

48.  You  have  never  —  much  as  answered  my  letter. 

6 


322  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

49.  Come  —  quickly  as  you  can. 

50.  No  other  country  suffered  —  much  as  England. 

II. 

Apparently,  evidently,  ma.nifesUy.— "Apparently  is  properly  used  of 
that  which  seems,  but  may  not  be,  real;  evidently,  of  that  which  both 
seems  and  is  real."  '     Manifestly  is  stronger  than  evidently. 

Average,  orAma.vy.— Average  implies  an  arithmetical  computation; 
if  four  persons  lose  respectively  $10,  $20,  $30,  and  $40,  the  average 
loss  is  $25.  The  word  is  used  figuratively  by  Dr.  O.  W.  Holmes  in 
"  The  average  intellect  of  five  hundred  persons,  taken  as  they  come, 
is  not  very  high."  In  the  sense  of  "usual,"  "common  in  occur- 
rence," "of  tlie  usual  standard,"  ordinary  is  preferable  to  average. 

Bound,  determined.— 5oM?i(^  properly  means  "obliged,"  "fated," 
or  "under  necessity":  as,  "A  man  is  bound  by  his  word;"  "We 
hold  ourselves  in  gratitude  bound  to  receive  ...  all  such  persons." 
In  the  sense  of  "determined"  bound  is  not  in  good  use.  in  the 
sense  of  "sure"  it  is  in  colloquial,  but  not  in  literary,  use. 

Continual,  con\.m\xo\xs.—"  Continual  is  used  of  frequently  repeated 
acts,  as,  '  Continual  dropping  wears  away  a  stone ;'  continuous,  of 
uninterrupted  action,  as,  'the  continuous  flowing  of  a  river.'  "^ 

Deadly,  deathly.— "  Z^eai/i^y,  in  the  sense  of  '  resembling  death,'  as, 
'She  was  deathly  pale,'  is  preferable  to  deadly,  since  deadly  also 
means  '  inflicting  death.'  "  ^ 

Decided,  decisive.— "  A  decided  opinion  is  a  strong  opinion,  which 
perhaps  decides  nothing;  a  decisive  opinion  settles  the  question  at 
issue.  A  lawyer  may  have  decided  views  on  a  case;  the  judgment 
of  a  court  is  decisive. "  ^ 

Dumb,  stupid.— Z)MWi6  properly  means  "mute,"  "silent."  Its  mis- 
use for  stupid  is  partly  due,  especially  in  Pennsylvania,  to  its  resem- 
blance to  the  German  dumm. 

Existing,  extant.— That  is  extant  which  has  escaped  the  ravages  of 
time  (used  chiefly  of  books,  manuscripts,  etc.);  that  is  existing  which 
has  existence. 

Funny,  odd.— Funny  means  "comical;"  in  the  sense  of  "strange" 
S)T  "  odd  "  it  is  not  in  good  use. 

Healthy,  healthful,  wholesome.— That  is  liealthy  which  is  in  good 

'  A.  S.  Hil! :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  39. 

*  Ibid.,  p.  38.  '  Ibid.,  p.  18. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  123 

health  ;  that  is  healthful  or  wholesome  which  produces  health.  Wiole- 
some  commonly  applies  to  food. 

Human,  humane.— -Hwmaw  denotes  what  pertains  to  man  as  man; 
as,  "human  nature,"  " hvmian  sacrifices."  Humane  means  'com- 
passionate." 

Latest,  \&st.— Latest,  like  the  word  "late,"  contains  a  distinct  refer- 
ence to  time ;  that  is  latest  which  comes  after  all  others  in  time :  as, 
"  The  latest  news ;"  "  The  latest  fashion."  Last,  which  was  original- 
ly a  contraction  of  "latest,"  is  now  used  without  any  distinct  refer- 
ence to  time,  and  denotes  that  which  comes  after  all  others  in  space 
or  in  a  series  :  as,  "  The  last  house  on  the  street ;"  "  The  Last  of  the 
Mohicans." 

Lengthy,  \ons-— Lengthy  is  said  to  have  originated  in  the  United 
Slates,  but  the  earliest  quotations  found  are  from  British  authors. 
In  the  introduction  to  the  second  series  of  The  Biglow  Papers,  Mr. 
Lowell  wrote  :  "  We  have  given  back  to  England  the  excellent  ad- 
jective lengthy  .  .  .  thus  enabling  their  journalists  to  characterize 
our  President's  messages  by  a  word  civilly  compromising  between 
long  and  tedious,  so  as  not  to  endanger  the  peace  of  the  two  coun- 
tries by  wounding  our  national  sensitiveness  to  British  criticism." 
Lengthy  is  used  chiefly  of  discourses  or  writings,  and  implies  tedious- 
ness.     Long  is  used  of  anything  that  has  length. 

Mad,  angry.— J/«(?  means  "insane  ;"  in  the  sense  of  "angry"  it  is 
not  in  good  use. 

New,  noveh— That  is  new  which  is  not  old  ;  that  is  novel  which  is 
both  new  and  strange. 

Oral,  vepbal.— "  Oral,  in  the  sense  of  'in  spoken  words,'  is  prefer- 
able to  verbal,  since  verbal  means  '  in  words '  whether  spoken  or  writ- 
ten."' 

Pitiable,  TpmiM\.~" Pitiable,  in  the  sense  of  'deserving  pity,'  is  pref- 
erable to  pitiful,  since  pitiful  also  means  'compassionate,'  as,  'The 
Lord  is  very  pitiful,  and  of  tender  mercy.' "  ' 

Practicable,  practical.— That  is  practiGoble  which  can  be  done  ;  that 
is  prcLCticaZ  which  is  not  theoretical  only:  as,  "a  practicable  plan," 
"  a  practical  electrician." 

Prominent,  eminent.— Pr<w/ii7i6»^  means  "conspicuous,"  "standing 
out  so  as  to  be  easily  seen;"  eminent  means  "distinguished  in  char- 
acter or  rank." 

'  A.  S.  Hill :  Principles  of  Rhetoric,  revised  edition,  p.  19. 


124  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Real,  really,  very.— lieal  is  properly  an  adjective,  meaning  "not  im- 
aginary or  counterfeit,"  as,  "real  diamonds."  Its  misuse  for  the 
adverbs  really  and  ve7'y,  as,  "  Tliis  is  real  pretty,"  is  a  vulgarism. 

Seared,  afraid.— The  participle  scared  means  "frightened;"  afraid 
is  an  adjective  meaning  "in  fear."  Before  "of,"  the  proper  word 
is  afraid:  as.  "  She  is  afraid  of  horses."  Scared  of  is  not  in  good 
use. 

Grand,  gorgeous,  awful,  splendid,  elegant,  lovely,  magnificent. — 
Gh'artd  properly  implies  "grandeur;"  gorgeous,  "splendid  colors;" 
awful,  "awe;"  elegant,  "elegance;"  splendid,  "splendor;"  lovely, 
"  surpassing  loveliness  ;"  magnificent,  "magnificence." 

"We  talk,  sometimes,  with  people  whose  conversation  would  lead 
you  to  suppose  that  they  had  lived  in  a  museum,  where  all  the  ob- 
jects were  monsters  and  extremes.  .  .  .  They  use  the  superlative  of 
grammar:  'most  perfect,'  'most  exquisite,'  'most  horrible.'  Like 
the  French,  they  are  enchanted,  they  are  desolate,  because  you  have 
got  or  have  not  got  a  shoestring  or  a  wafer  you  happen  to  want — not 
perceiving  that  superlatives  are  diminutives  and  weaken.  .  .  .  All 
this  comes  of  poverty.  We  are  unskilful  definers.  From  want  of 
skill  to  convey  quality,  we  hope  to  move  admiration  by  quantity. 
Language  should  aim  to  describe  the  fact.  .  .  .  'Tis  very  wearisome, 
this  straining  talk,  these  experiences  all  exquisite,  intense,  and  tre- 
mendous." ' 

EXERCISE  LXXII. 

Tell  the  difference  in  meaning  between — 

1.  The  average  (ordinary)  yield  of  wheat. 

2.  He  is  bound  (determined)  to  come. 

3.  There  was  continual  (continuous)  fighting  for  three  days. 

4.  It  was  deadly  (deathly)  cold  in  the  cave. 

5.  A  decided  (decisive)  victory. 

6.  The  boy  is  dumb  (stupid). 

7.  His  story  is  apparently  (evidently,  manifestly)  true. 

8.  The  existing  (extant)  pqrlraits  of  Milton. 

9.  His  actions  were  very  funny  (odd). 

10.  This  is  a  healthy  (wholesome)  plant. 

11.  A  human  (humane)  being. 

12.  His  latest  (last)  attempt. 

13.  Long  (lengthy)  explanations. 

1  R.  W.  Emerson :  The  Superlative. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  125 

14.  She  became  mad  (angry). 

15.  A  new  (novel)  style. 

16.  Au  oral  (verbal)  message. 

17.  A  pitiable  (pitiful)  man. 

18.  Your  purpose  seems  practical  (practicable). 

19.  A  prominent  (au  eminent)  man. 

20.  He  was  really  (very)  glad  to  see  us. 

EXERCISE   LXXIII. 

Insert  the  proper  loord  in  each  blank : — 

Apparently,  evidently,  manifestly. 
1.  The  motion  which  —  belongs  to  the  sun,  really  belongs  to  the 
earth. 

3.  The  stranger  was  —  in  the  prime  of  manhood. 

8.  The  apparent  {emdent)  discrepancy  between  the  two  narratives 
is  not  real. 

4.  Our  country  is  —  growing  in  wealth. 

5.  A  straight  line  is  —  the  shortest  distance  between  two  points. 

Average,  ordinary. 

6.  To  be  excited  is  not  the  —  state  of  the  mind. 

7.  This  picture  has  only  —  merit. 

8.  —  conversation  is  not  instructive. 

9.  The  —  American  is  not  wealthy. 

10.  The  —  expenses  per  man  of  the  Yale  class  of  '95  during  Fresh- 
man year  were  $912. 

11.  The  life  of  the  —  man  is  safer  and  more  comfortable  than  it 
was  a  century  ago. 

12.  The  —  age  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  nearly  forty -four. 

13.  Their  —  duties  were  easy. 

Bound,  determined. 

14.  He  worked  hard  at  his  piece,  for  he  was  —  to  speak  it  well. 

15.  We  liave  promised,  therefore  we  are  —  to  go. 

16.  I  am  —  to  win,  if  I  can. 

17.  They  were  —  that  they  would  see  the  end  of  the  play,  even 
though  they  should  miss  their  train. 

Continual,  Continuous. 

18.  He  was  exposed  to  —  interruptions. 

19.  A  —  line  in  space. 


126  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN   ENGLISH 

20.  —  victory  makes  leaders  insolent. 

21.  A  —  siege  of  six  months. 

22.  The  power  of  abstract  study  or  of  —  thought  is  rare. 

Deadly,  deathly. 

23.  A  —  stillness. 

24.  The  —  bite  of  the  rattlesnake. 

25.  My  wound  is  — . 

26.  Her  hands  were  —  cold. 

27.  She,  poor  thing,  was  looking  —  pale. 

28.  Many  savages  have  seen  a  musket  kill  small  animals  and  yet 
have  not  known  how  —  an  instrument  it  is. 

Decided,  decisive. 

29.  He  felt  a  —  aversion  to  company. 

30.  Smith  spoke  out  boldly  in  a  —  tone. 

31.  Creasy's  "  Fifteen  —  Battles  of  the  World." 

32.  The  nature  of  lightning  was  not  known  until  Franklin  made 
his  -  experiment.  ^^^^^  ^j^^,^^ 

33.  A  man  who  cannot  write  with  wit  on  a  proper  subject  is 
dull  and  — . 

34.  A  deaf  and  —  person. 

35.  I  was  struck  —  with  astonishment. 

36.  Judging  from  his  recitations,  I  should  say  that  John  is  either 
lazy  or  — .  Extant,  existing. 

37.  God  created  all  —  things. 

38.  Only  two  authentic  portraits  of  Shakespeare  are  — . 

39.  Tiiere  are  —  seven  hundred  and  sixty-five  of  Cicero's  letters. 

40.  Every  citizen  should  exert  himself  to  remove  —  evils. 

Funny,  odd. 

41.  It  is  —  he  never  told  me  of  his  marriage. 

42.  He  made  the  boys  laugh  by  drawing  —  pictures  on  his  slate. 

43.  You  must  have  thought  it  —  we  didn't  send  for  you. 

44.  He  amused  us  with  —  stories. 

Healthy,  healthful,  wholesome. 

45.  Tomatoes  are  said  to  be  a  very  —  food. 

46.  If  a  —  body  contributes  to  the  health  of  the  mind,  so  also  a  — 
mind  keeps  the  body  well. 

47.  Gardening  is  a  —  recreation  for  a  man  of  study  or  business. 

48.  —  food  in  a  —  climate  makes  a  —  man. 

49.  A  —  situation.     A  —  constitution.     —  diet. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND   ADVERBS  127 

Human,  humane. 

50.  A  —  disposition  is  not  cruel. 

51.  To  err  is  —  ;  to  forgive,  divine. 

52.  In  the  time  of  Abraham  —  sacrifices  were  common  among  his 
heathen  neighbors. 

53.  The  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  is  a  — 

organization. 

Latest,  last. 

54.  The  —  men  in  the  procession. 

55.  The  —  news. 

56.  The  —  of  the  Incas. 

57.  Have  you  read  the  —  novel  ? 

58.  The  —  foot-ball  game  of  the  season  will  be  played  with  the 

Yale  Freshmen. 

Lengthy,  long. 

59.  Cotton  Mather  wrote  many  —  dissertations. 

60.  It  is  a  —  ride  from  Ellen's  Isle  to  Stirling. 

61.  A  —  line  of  ancestors. 

63.  We  were  wearied  by  his  —  explanations. 

Mad,  angpy. 

63.  His  sarcastic  manner  makes  me  — . 

64.  That  is  nothing  to  get  —  at. 

65.  I  have  heard  my  grandsire  say  full  oft, 
Extremity  of  griefs  would  make  men  — . 

New,  novel. 

66.  We  have  a  —  horse. 

67.  A  —  feature  of  the  entertainment  was  the  "Broom  Drill." 

68.  At  the  World's  Fair  we  saw  many  —  sights,  especially  in  the 
Midwa}^  Plaisance. 

69.  Alice  had  many  —  experiences  in  Wonder  Land. 

Oral,  verbal. 

70.  Some  slight  —  changes  have  been  made  in  the  new  edition  of 
tins  book. 

71.  Were  your  instructions  —  or  written. 

Pitiable,  pitiful. 

72.  The  condition  of  the  poor  in  our  great  cities  is  — , 

73.  Be  gentle  unto  griefs  and  needs. 
Be  —  as  woman  should. 

74.  The  wretched  girl  was  in  a  —  plight. 

75.  A  —  sight. 


128  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

Practicable,  practical. 

76.  We  have  hired  a  —  gardener. 

77.  This  plan  of  campaign  is  not  — . 

78.  We  found  the  road  not  —  because  of  the  heavy  rains. 

79.  A  victory  may  be  a  —  defeat. 

Ppominent.  eminent. 

80.  Censure  is  tlie  tax  a  man  pays  to  the  public  for  being  — . 

81.  The  figure  of  a  man  is  —  in  the  picture. 

82.  Frogs  have  —  eyes. 

83.  Washington  was  a  (an)  —  man. 

84.  John  Quincy  Adams  was  the  —  son  of  a  (an)  —  father. 

Real,  really,  very. 

85.  She  came  home  looking  —  well  after  her  long  visit. 

86.  Protestants  believe  that  the  bread  of  the  Lord's  supper  is  not 
—  changed,  but  remains  —  bread. 

87.  Homer  tells  us  that  the  blood  of  the  gods  is  not  —  blood,  but 
only  something  like  it. 

88.  I  am  —  glad  you  have  come. 

89.  He  is  —  dead. 

90.  It  was  —  kind  in  you  to  send  me  flowers. 

91.  Yes,  I  am  —  old;  I  am  sixty. 

92.  He  speaks  —  well,  doesn't  he  ? 

93.  —  kings  hide  away  their  crowns  in  their  wardrobes,  and 
affect  a  plain  and  poor  exterior. 

94.  This  is  —  pretty. 

95.  We  came  on  a  —  fast  train. 

96.  She  seemed  —  glad  to  see  us. 

97.  The  hotel  is  situated  —  near  the  sea. 

Scared,  afraid. 

98.  She  was  badly  —  when  her  horse  ran  away, 

99.  Harry  is  —  of  tramps. 

100.  Helen  was  —  of  the  cows  in  the  meadow. 

EXERCISE  LXXIV.i 

Illustrate  by  original  sentences  the  correct  use  of  each  of  these  words : 
— Both,  each,  every,  aggravating,  liable,  likely,  apt,  mutual,  partial- 
1}',  quite,  average,  bound,  continual,  continuous,  deadly,  deathly,  de- 
cided, decisive,  dumb,  apparently,  evidently,  extant,  funny,  healthy, 

'  See  note  To  the  Teaciier,  p.  4i, 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  129 

healthful,  wholesome,  human,  humane,  latest,  last,  lengthy,  mad, 
novel,  verbal,  pitiable,  pitiful,  practicable,  practical,  prominent,  emi- 
nent, real,  really,  scared,  grand,  gorgeous,  awful,  splendid,  elegant, 
lovely,  magnificent. 

Use  of  the  Compapative  and  Supeplative. — The  compara 
tive  degree  is  preferable  when  two  things  or  sets  of  things 
are  compared,  the  superlative  when  three  or  more  are  com- 
pared. 

To  say  "  Iron  is  more  useful  than  any  metal "  is  clearly 
incorrect,  because  iron  is  included  in  "any  metal,"  and  of 
course  iron  is  not  more  useful  than  itself.  We  must  in 
thought  set  iron  off  in  a  class  by  itself,  which  we  can  do 
by  inserting  "other"  after  "any."  "Iron  is  more  useful 
than  any  other  metal "  is  correct.  After  comparatives  ac- 
companied by  "than,"  the  words  "any"  and  "all"  should 
be  followed  by  "  other." 

To  say  "  Iron  is  the  most  useful  of  ayiy  (or,  any  other) 
metal"  is  also  clearly  incorrect,  because  we  mean  that 
iron  is  the  most  useful,  not  of  "  one  metal  (no  matter 
which)  "  or  of  "  some  metals  (no  matter  which),"  but  of  all 
metals.  We  should  therefore  omit  the  word  "  any,"  say- 
ing simply  "Iron  is  the  most  useful  of  (all)  metals."  It 
is  also  incorrect  to  say  "Iron  is  the  most  useful  of  all 
other  metals,"  for  iron  is  not  one  of  the  "other  metals." 
Beware  of  using  "any"  or  "other"  with  superlatives  fol- 
lowed by  "  of." 

EXERCISE  LXXV. 

Which  of  the  italicised  forms  is  preferable? — 

1.  Of  London  and  Paris,  London  is  the  wealthier  {wealthiest). 

2.  Of  two  evils,  choose  the  less  [least). 

3.  The  oldsr  (oldest)  of  the  three  boys  was  sent  to  college. 

4.  Which  can  run  the  faster  [fastest),  your  horse  or  mine  ? 

5.  Of  the  two  Latin  poets,  Virgil  and  Horace,  i\xe  first  [former)  is 
the  better  [best)  known. 

6* 


130  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN  ENGLISH 

6.  Which  is  the  better  {best)  of  the  two  ? 

7.  Which  is  the  farther  {farthest )  east,  Boston,  I'iTew  York,  or 
Phihidelphia? 

8.  There  is  no  doubt  about  hiin  {his)  being  the  better  (best)  in  the 
little  group  of  friends. 

9.  Which  is  the  larger  {largest)  number,  the  minuend  or  the  sub- 
trahend ? 

EXERCISE   LXXVI. 

Explain  and  correct  the  errors  in  the  following  sentences : — 

1.  This  picture  is,  of  all  others,  the  one  I  like  best. 

2.  This  engraving-  of  mine  I  like  better  than  any  picture  I  have. 

3.  London  is  more  crowded  than  any  city  in  Great  Britain. 

4.  London  is  the  most  crowded  of  any  city  in  Great  Britain. 

5.  She  of  all  other  girls  ought  to  be  the  last  to  complain. 

6.  Our  grammar  lessons  are  the  hardest  of  any  we  have. 

7.  St.  Peter's  is  larger  than  any  church  in  the  world. 

8.  St.  Peter's  is  the  largest  of  any  church  in  the  world. 

9.  Noah  and  his  family  outlived  all  the  people  who  lived  before 
the  flood. 

10.  Solomon  was  wiser  than  all  men. 

11.  This  State  exports  more  cotton  than  all  the  states. 

12.  A  cowboy  is  the  most  picturesque  of  any  men. 

13.  Tabby  lias  the  worst  temper  of  any  cat  I  know. 

14.  He  thinks  Gettysburg  has  the  prettiest  girls  of  any  town  of  its 
size. 

15.  The  proposed  method  of  Mr.  F.  G.  Jackson,  the  English  arctic 
explorer,  appears  to  be  the  most  practical  and  businesslike  of  any 
yet  undertaken  for  exploring  the  polar  regions. 

EXERCISE   LXXVII. 

Construct  sentences  comparing  ttie  following  things,  using  first  a  r/mi- 
parative,  then  a  superlative  form : — 

1.  The  large  population  of  China ;  the  smaller  populations  of  other 
countries. 

Example. — China  has  a  larger  population  than  any  other  country.  Of  all 
countries,  China  has  the  largest  population  in  the  world. 

2.  John,  who  is  very  mischievous  ;  other  boys,  who  are  less  mis- 
chievous. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND  ADVERBS  131 

3.  Eve,  who  was  exceedingly  fair ;  her  daughters  (female  descend- 
ants), who  are  less  fair. 

4.  Smith,  the  best  athlete ;  the  other  boys  in  the  school. 

5.  Mary's  recitations  ;  the  poorer  recitations  of  her  classmates. 

6.  The  population  of  London  ;  the  population  of  the  other  cities 
in  the  world. 

7.  The  circulation  of  the  "  Star  ;"  the  smaller  circulation  of  other 
newspapers  in  the  county. 

8.  Ethel's  eyes ;    the  eyes  of  her  playmates,  which  are  not  so 
bright. 

9.  The  examination  papers  of  Professor  A. ;  the  easier  papers  set 
by  other  teachers. 

10.  Philip  ;  his  classmates,  who  are  less  bright. 

11.  Solomon,  the  wisest  king;  other  kings. 

12.  Samson,  the  strongest  man  ;  other  men. 

13.  Jacob's  love  for  Joseph  ;  his  love  for  his  other  children. 

14.  Youth  ;  the  other  periods  of  life,  whicli  are  less  important. 

15.  Demosthenes ;  the  other  and  inferior  orators  of  Greece. 

16.  The  books  read  by  Fannie ;  the  fewer  books  read  by  her  class- 
mates. 

17.  This  shady  grove ;  other  groves  1  know,  which  are  less  shady. 

18.  The  reign  of  Louis  XIV. ;  the  shorter  reigns  of  other  French 
kings. 

19.  Shakespeare  ;  other  English  poets,  all  of  whom  are  inferior  to 
him. 

20.  The  Falls  of  Niagara  ;  other  falls  in  the  United  States. 

Adjectives  and   Advepbs   incapable   of  Compapison.'— 

Some  adjectives  and  adverbs  have  meanings  which  do  not 
vary  in  degree ;  a,B,  dead, perfect,  loooden.  Such  adjectives 
cannot  properly  be  compared  or  modified  by  the  words 
"  more,"  "  most,"  "  so,"  "  too,"  and  '■  very." 

EXERCISE  LXXVIII. 

Which  of  the  following  adjectives  and  adverbs  do  not  vary  in  de- 
gree ? — 

Absolutely,  brave,  cloudless,  cold,  conclusively,  continually,  en- 
tirely, essentially,  extreme,  faultless,  French,  fundamental,  golden, 

'  "Foundations,"  p.  135. 


132  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES  IN  ENGLISH 

happy,  impregnable,  inaudible,  incessant,  incredible,  indispensable, 
insatiate,  inseparable,  intangible,  intolerable,  invariable,  long,  mas- 
terly, round,  sharp,  square,  sufficient,  unanimous,  unbearable,  un- 
bounded, unerring,  unique,  universally,  unparalleled,  unprecedented. 

Misplaced  Adjectives  and  Adverbs." — A  word,  a  phrase, 
or  a  clause  used  as  an  adjective  or  an  adverb  should  come 
next  to  the  word,  or  words,  which  it  modifies. 

Tlie  woi'd  only  requires  special  care.  Observe  how  the 
position  of  only  affects  the  meaning  in  the  following  sen- 
tences: "Only  he  lost  his  hat;"  "He  only  lost  his  hat;" 
"  He  lost  only  his  hat,"  or  "  He  lost  his  hat  only  ;"  "  He 
lost  his  only  hat." 

EXERCISE  LXXIX. 

Correct  the  errors  of  position  in  the  following  sentences: — 

1.  Metal  reflectors  are  only  used  now  for  cheap  search-lights. 

2.  I  will  only  mention  some  of  the  best. 

3.  I  only  had  time  to  read  "  Iving  Lear." 

4.  He  only  spoke  to  me,  not  to  you. 

5.  Coons  are  only  killed  with  the  help  of  dogs.  The  coon  only 
comes  out  in  the  night-time. 

6.  Lost,  a  Scotch  terrier,  by  a  gentleman,  with  his  ears  cut  close. 

7.  Canteens  were  issued  to  the  soldiers  with  short  necks. 

8.  We  all  went  to  the  sea-shore  for  a  little  fresh  air  from  the  city. 

9.  At  one  time  Franklin  was  seen  bringing  some  paper  to  his 
printing-office  from  the  place  where  he  had  purchased  it  in  a  wheel- 
barrow. 

10.  He  went  to  Germany  to  patronize  the  people  in  the  little  Ger- 
man villages  from  which  he  came  with  his  great  wealth. 

11.  The  three  young  men  set  out  and  finally  arrived  at  the  college 
dressed  in  girls'  clothes. 

12.  The  maskers  were  nearly  dressed  alike. 

13.  Erected  to  the  memory  of  John  Smith  accidentally  shot  as  a 
mark  of  affection  by  his  brother. 

14.  Lost,  an  umbrella  by  a  gentleman  with  an  ivory  head. 

15.  A  piano  for  sale  by  a  lady  about  to  cross  the  channel  in  an  oak 
case  with  carved  legs. 

'  "Foundations,"  p..  136. 


OF  ADJECTIVES  AND   ADVERBS  133 

16.  He  blew  out  his  brains  after  bidding  his  wife  good-bye  with  a 
gun. 

17.  The  jMoor,  seizing  a  bolster,  full  of  rage  and  jealousy,  smoth- 
ered Desdemona. 

18.  Wanted,  a  handsome  Shetland  pony  suitable  for  a  child  with 
a  long  mane  and  tail. 

19.  Wolsey  left  many  buildings  which  he  had  begun  at  his  death 
in  an  unfinished  state. 

20.  My  cousin  caught  a  crab  and  took  it  home  in  a  pail  of  water 
which  we  had  for  our  tea. 

21.  I  scarcely  ever  remember  to  have  had  a  rougher  walk. 

Adverbs  between  To  and  The  Infinitive. — "A  careful 
writer  will  do  well  to  avoid  the  construction  which  places 
the  adverb  between  to  and  the  infinitive.  It  is  true  that 
the  construction  is  a  common  one  ;  but  it  is  also  true  that 
those  who  are  most  addicted  to  the  practice  are  not  those 
who  count  most  as  authorities  on  questions  of  good  usage." ' 

EXERCISE  LXXX. 

Improve  the  arrangement  in  the  following  sentences  ■ — 

1.  Hermes  caused  the  milk  pitcher  of  the  old  couple  to  never  be 
empty. 

2.  His  political  enemies  tried  to  in  this  way  impeach  the  courage 
of  the  President. 

3    He  promises  to  earnestly  try  to  do  better. 

4.  To  really  know  the  man  w^e  must  read  his  books. 

5.  Another  project  is  to  in  some  way  modify  the  power  of  the 
House  of  Lords. 

6.  She  dwelt  upon  what  was  comforting,  though  conscious  that 
there  was  little  to  veritably  console. 

7.  He  proposed  to  either  largely  decrease  the  appropriation  or  to 
wholly  do  away  with  it. 

'  "Foundations,"  p.  140. 


CHAPTER    VII 

OF      PREPOSITIONS 

Misused  Ppepositions.'— A  writer,  in  choosing  the  proper 
preposition  to  express  his  meaning,  must  rely  chiefly  on  his 
sense  of  idiom,  that  is,  his  knowledge  of  English  usage, 
but  he  may  find  the  following  notes  helpful. 

Among,  between.— "  Among  is  the  proper  word  when  the  reference 
is  to  more  tlmn  two  persons  or  things,  or  groups  of  persons  or  things; 
between,  when  the  reference  is  to  two  only."^ 

At,  In.— Before  names  of  places  to  denote  "  where,"  at  is  used  when 
the  place  is  so  small  as  to  be  treated  as  a  mere  point,  or  when,  al- 
though large,  it  is  viewed  as  a  mere  point ;  ^?i  is  used  when  it  is  de- 
sired to  make  prominent  the  idea  "within  the  bounds  of:"  as,  "He 
arrived  at  Liverpool  in  the  morning  and  remained  in  that  city  two 
days."  Before  the  name  of  the  place  In  which  the  speaker  dwells, 
if  the  place  is  of  any  size,  in  is  generally  preferred  to  at,  unless  the 
place  is  so  remote  that  it  dwindles  in  the  mental  vision  to  a  point. 

Baek  of.— Back  of,  though  frequently  heard  in  conversation  and 
sometimes  seen  in  print,  is  not  in  good  use. 

Beside,  besXdies.- Beside  means  "  by  the  side  of;"  besides  is  now  used 
only  in  the  sense  of  "in  addition  to,"  "other  than;"  as,  "  Who  sits 
beside  you  ?"  "  Who  besides  us  knows  this  ?" 

By,  with.— To  introduce  the  agent  of  an  action  by  is  now  commonly 
used;  the  material  instrument  or  tool  is  usually  introduced  by  with: 
as,  "  Duncan  was  murdered  by  Macbeth  with  a  dagger." 

DiSerent  from,  diflerent  Xjo.— Different  from  is  preferable  to  diff&r- 
ent  to  and  different  than. 

In,  into.— "/ji  implies  presence  inside  of,  or  within;  into  implies 
movement  to  the  inside  of.  Before  a  man  can  move  in  a  room,  he 
must  already  have  moved  into  it." ' 

I  "  Foundations,"  pp.  142-148.         «  Ibid.,  p.  143.         ^  Ibid.,  p.  146. 


OF   TKEFOtilTlONS  135 

In,  on.— Before  names  of  streets,  in  implies  some  reference  to  sur- 
rouiiding-s;  on  is  less  definite,  indicating  location  only. 

On  to,  onto.— "  Good  use  does  not  support  either  on  to  or  onto." ' 
Walt  for,  wait  on.—2o  wait  for  means  "to  await,"  as,  "We  will 
wait  for  you  at  the  corner."     To  wait  on  means  "to  attend  on,"  as, 
"  At  dinner  the  women  waited  on  the  men." 

EXERCISE  LXXXI. 

Insert  tJte  proper  preposition  in  each  blank: — 

Among,  between. 

1.  He  divided  the  apples  —  the  live  boys. 

2.  There  was  a  generous  rivalry  —  the  two  friends. 

3.  I  have  no  preference  —  many  of  Tennyson's  poems. 

4.  There  is  bad  feeling  —  China  and  Japan. 

5.  The  money  was  divided  —  the  six  heirs. 

At,  in. 

6.  Napoleon  died  —  Longwood,  a  villa  on  the  island  of  St.  Hele 
na  ;  Byron  died  —  Missolonghi,  —  Greece 

7.  Did  he  graduate  —  Oxford  or  —  Cambridge  ? 

8.  He  is  now  —  Ireland. 

9.  Milton  was  educated  —  Christ's  College. 

10.  When  shall  we  arrive  —  Rome  ? 

11.  1  am  eager  to  visit  a  hundred  places  —  Florence. 

12.  We  live  —  New  York. 

13.  Macaulay  lived  —  London. 

Beside,  besides. 

14.  Have  you  notliing  to  tell  us  —  what  we  have  already  heard  ? 

15.  The  boy  stood  —  her. 

16.  —  the  large  planets,  there  are  hundreds  of  smaller  planets 
called  "asteroids." 

17.  Let  me  sit  —  you. 

By,  with. 

18.  The  door  was  fastened  —  nails  —  the  carpenter. 

19.  The  Great  Charter  was  signed  —  King  John. 

20.  Thebes  was  founded  —  Cadmus. 

21.  Truth  finds  au  easy  entrance  into  the  mind  when  she  is  intro- 
duced —  Desire  and  attended  —  Pleasure. 

22.  He  entertained  us  —  a  story. 

23.  He  struck  me  —  his  cane. 

'  "  Foundations,"  p.  146. 


136 


PRACTICAL   EXERCISES  IN   EiNGLISH 


In,  into. 

34.  The  dog  is  —  the  water. 

25.  Come  —  the  house. 

26.  Look  —  my  desk. 

27.  Put  more  life  —  your  speaking. 

28.  Throw  it  —  the  fire. 

29.  What  put  this  idea  —  your  head  ? 

30.  Carry  the  basket  —  the  kitchen. 

31.  She  threw  herself  —  a  chair. 

In,  on. 

32.  The  cable  cars  —  Broadway. 

38.  Ellen  and  Harry  are  playing  —  the  street. 

34.  The  Murray  Hill  Hotel  is  —  Fourth  Avenue. 

35.  They  carry  on  their  business  —  William  Street. 

"  With  certain  words  good  ttse  requires  special  preposi- 
tions.    Among  these  words  are  the  following  : — 

correspond  to  or  with  (a  thing), 
correspond  with  (a  person), 
dependent    on   (but    independent 

of), 
derogatory  to. 
differ  from  (a  person  or  thing). 


abhorrence  of. 
absolve  from, 
accord  with, 
acquit  of. 
adapted  to  or  for. 
affinity  between,  to,  or  with 
agree  with  (a  person), 
agree  to  (a  proposal), 
averse  from  or  to. 
bestow  upon, 
change  for  (a  thing), 
change  with  (a  person), 
comply  with, 
confer  on  (=  give  to). 
confer  with  (=talk  with), 
confide  in  (=  trust  in), 
confide  to  (=  intrust  to), 
conform  to. 

in  conformity  with  or  to. 
convenient  for  or  to. 
conversant  with. 


differ  from  or  with  (in  opinion), 
disappointed  of  (what  we  cannot 

get), 
disappointed  in  (what  we  have), 
dissent  from, 
glad  at  or  of. 
involve  in. 
martyr  for  or  to. 
need  of. 

part  from  or  with, 
profit  by. 

reconcile  to  or  with. 
taste  of  (food), 
taste  for  (art), 
thirst  for  or  after." ' 


'  '•'  Foundations,"  p.  148. 


OF   PREPOSITIONS  187 

EXERCISE  LXXXII. 

I.  Tell  the  difference  in  meaning  between — 

1.  She  confides  in  (to)  her  sister. 

2.  He  differs  from  (with)  me. 

3.  We  are  disappointed  of  (in)  our  guests. 

4.  He  is  in  {at)  New  York. 

5.  He  waited  on  (for)  Iiis  mother. 

II.  Tell  what  prepositions  are  required  with  these  words:  Ab- 
horrence, absolve,  accord,  acquit,  adapted,  aflSnity,  agree,  agreeable, 
averse,  bestow,  change  (verb),  comply,  confer,  confide,  conform,  in 
conformity,  convenient,  conversant,  correspond,  dependent,  deroga- 
tory, differ,  different,  disappointed,  dissent  (verb),  eager,  exception, 
expert,  glad,  independent,  involve,  martyr,  need  (noun),  part  (verb), 
profit  (verb),  reconcile,  taste  (noun),  thirst  (noun),  worthy. 

EXERCISE  LXXXIII. 

Insert  the  proper  preposition  in  each  hlank : — ' 

1.  Please  wait  —  me  ;  I  will  come  as  soon  as  I  can. 

2.  She  married  him  —  her  father's  consent. 

3.  The  cathedral  was  rich  —  all  kinds  of  golden  vessels. 

4.  Moses  received  the  laws  —  the  people  on  Mount  Sinai. 

5.  Evangeline  died  —  Philadelphia. 
g,  —  whom  did  they  rent  the  house  ? 

7.  —  whom  can  I  rely  ? 

8.  The  boy  went  in  search  —  his  sister. 

9.  The  streams  —  this  region  abound  —  trout. 

10.  The  traces  of  a  struggle  were  seen  —  the  tree. 

11.  They  got  —  the  carriage  and  rode  away. 

13.  He  has  moved  —  New  Yoi-k,  where  he  lives  —  an  elegant 
mansion, 

13.  He  thought  that  he  put  the  money  —  his  pocket,  but  he  found 
it  —  his  shoe. 

14.  The  paper  was  cut  —  small  strips. 

15.  We  stood  —  the  landing. 

16.  The  firemen  went  —  the  roci  of  the  house. 

1  In  this  exercise  the  pupil  must  rely  chiefly  on  his  knowledge  of  English 
usage  or  on  a  dictionary.  In  some  of  the  sentences  more  than  one  prepo- 
sition is  allowable,  according  to  the  sense. 


138  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

17.  He  is  down  —  the  village. 

18.  What  was  the  matter  —  him  '? 

19.  He  died  —  a  fever. 

20.  When  we  were  —  Rome  we  stayed  —  a  small  hotel. 
31.  He  lives  —  a  frame  house  —  Cambridge. 

22.  Her  unladylike  behavior  gave  occasion  —  many  unpleasant 
remarks. 

23.  Caterpillars  change  —  butterflies. 

24.  She  lives  —  College  Street,  —  No.  1009. 

25.  It  was  conducive  —  my  comfort. 

26.  The  calm  was  followed  —  a  sudden  storm. 

27.  The  soil  of  Virginia  is  adapted  —  the  production  of  hemp  and 
tobacco. 

28.  The  flower  is  excellently  adapted  —  catching  insects. 

29.  Congress  consists  —  a  Senate  and  a  House  of  Representatives, 

30.  —  what  does  happiness  consist  ? 

31.  —  some  sentences  the  conjunction  is  omitted. 

32.  A  judge  who  has  an  interest  in  a  case  is  disqualified —  hear- 
ing it. 

33.  He  was  accused  —  robbery. 

34.  He  died  —  starvation,  she  —  pneumonia. 

85.  You  may  rely  —  what  I  say,  and  confide  —  my  honesty. 

36.  The  bird  flew  —  the  tree. 

37.  He  let  the  knife  fall  —  the  creek. 

38.  What  is  my  grief  in  comparison  —  that  which  she  bears  ? 

39.  Most  persons  feel  an  abhorrence  —  snakes. 

40.  He  aspires  —  political  distinction. 

41.  We  were  disappointed  —  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you. 

42.  There  is  need  —  great  watchfulness. 

43.  I  have  been  —  New  Orleans,  and  I  am  now  going  —  New 
York. 

44.  We  lived  —  a  liitle  village  —  the  South. 

45.  I  find  no  difiiculty  —  keeping  up  with  my  class. 

46.  —  every  class  of  people  selfishness  prevails. 

47.  He  divided  his  estate  —  his  son,  his  daughter,  and  his  nephew. 

48.  He  is  very  different  —  his  brother. 

49.  This  was  different  —  what  I  expected. 

50.  Compare  your  work  —  his,  and  you  will  see  the  difference. 

51.  My  old  yacht  was  small  in  comparison  —  this. 

52.  He  is  adapted  —  an  out-door  life. 


OF   PREPOSITIONS  139 

53.  His  disobedience  was  attended  —  serious  consequences. 

54.  His  mother  was  overcome  —  grief. 

55.  We  were  accompanied  —  our  parents. 

56.  A  man  should  try  to  rid  himself  —  prejudice. 

57.  He  will  profit  —  his  experience. 

58.  The  room  was  redolent  —  the  perfume. 

59.  You  must  conform  —  the  rules. 

60.  Fondness  —  horses  was  his  leading  trait. 

61.  We  felt  the  need  —  some  adviser. 

63.  I  cannot  reconcile  this  assertion  —  your  other  one. 

63.  Let  us  cut  it  —  three  equal  parts. 

64.  He  is  acquitted  —  all  blame. 

65.  The  Pope  absolved  him  —  his  oath  of  allegiance. 

66.  This  fact  does  not  accord  —  her  declaration. 

67.  I  do  not  agree  —  you;  therefore  I  cannot  agree  —  your  pro- 
posiij. 

68.  The  queen  bestowed  —  Tennyson  the  title  of  baron. 

69.  The  college  has  conferred  —  my  uncle  the  degi-ee  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity. 

70.  The  two  emperors  conferred  —  each  other  for  an  hour. 

71.  He  is  conversant  —  many  languages. 

72.  They  were  independent  —  each  other. 

73.  His  sisters  are  dependent  —  bim. 

74.  That  is  not  derogatory  —  their  character. 

75.  I  dissent  —  that  proposition. 

76.  We  are  glad  —  his  promotion. 

77.  He  has  a  taste  —  poetry  ;  she,  a  thirst  —  knowledge. 

78.  In  1842  he  emerged  —  obscurity. 

79.  His  property  was  merged  —  the  common  stock. 

80.  She  often  went  —  town  shopping. 

81.  He  plunged  —  the  deepest  part  of  tlie  lake. 

82.  These  bands  of  Indians  were  accompanied  —  settlers  from  De- 
troit. 

83.  The  settlers  were  in  company  —  Indians. 

84.  His  proposal  is  likely  to  stir  up  ill-will  —  the  various  classes. 

85.  The  Greeks,  fearing  that  they  would  be  surrounded,  wheeled 
about  and  halted,  with  the  river  —  their  backs. 

86.  We  are  within  three  miles  —  Salisbury. 


140  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IX   EXGLISH 

Omitted  Prepositions.' — "  Beware  of  omitting  a  preposi- 
tion that  is  needed  to  make  the  meaning  clear  or  the  sen- 
tence grammatical."  * 

"  Before  '  home '  the  preposition  '  at '  should  never  be 
omitted,  but  the  preposition  'to'  is  always  omitted:  e.cj.. 
'  I  am  going  home.'  "  ' 

EXERCISE   LXXXIV. 

Insert  the  necessary  prepositions  in  the  following  sentences : — 

1.  What  use  is  this  piece  of  ribbon  ? 

2.  The  oak  was  five  feet  diameter. 

3.  My  business  prevented  me  attending  the  last  meeting  of  the 
committee. 

4.  I  could  not  refrain  shedding  tears. 

5.  The  remarlv  is  worthy  the  fool  that  made  it. 

6.  It  is  unworthy  your  notice. 

7.  He  lives  the  other  side  the  river. 

8.  He  fled  the  country,  and  went  either  to  England  or  France. 

9.  Ignorance  is  the  mother  of  fear  as  well  as  admiration. 

10.  Religion  is  a  comfort  in  youth  as  well  as  old  age. 

11.  It's  no  use  to  give  up. 

12.  This  side  the  mountain  the  country  is  thickly  settled  ;  the 
other  side  there  are  few  inhabitants. 

13.  I  wrote  Mr.  Knapp  to  come  Wednesday,  and  promised  that  he 
should  find  us  home. 

14.  Wealth  is  more  conducive  to  worldliness  than  piety. 

15.  He  is  not  home,  but  I  think  he  is  coming  home  to-night. 

Redundant  Prepositions." — Beware  of  inserting  preposi- 
tions which  are  not  needed. 

EXERCISE   LXXXV. 

Strike  out  the  redunckint  prepositions : — 

1.  He  met  a  boy  of  about  eighteen  years  old. 

2.  Cadmus  stood  pondering  upon  what  he  should  do.  ^ 

3.  Let  a  gallows  be  erected  of  fifty  cubits  high. 

4.  Hercules  was  very  willing  to  take  the  world  off  from  his  shoul- 
ders and  give  it  to  Atlas  again. 

'  "Foundations,"  p.  149.  «  Ibid.,  p.  150. 


OF  PREPOSITIONS  141 

5.  No  one  can  help  from  loving  her. 

6.  From  thence  in  two  days  the  Greeks  marched  twenty  miles. 

7.  There  was  much  of  wisdom  in  their  plan. 

8.  A  workman  fell  off  of  the  ladder. 

9.  On  one  day  I  caught  five  trout,  on  another  twelve. 

10.  We  must  examine  into  this  subject  more  carefully. 

11.  A  child  copies  after  its  parents. 

13.  The  proposal  to  go  to  the  woods  was  approved  of  by  all  of  the 
boys, 

13.  At  about  what  time  will  father  return  ? 

14.  After  haviMo-  heard  his  story,  I  gave  him  a  dollar, 

15.  The  spring  is  near  to  tiie  house. 

16.  Bruno  followed  on  after  his  master. 

17.  Wanted,  a  young  man  of  from  sixteen  to  twenty-one  years  of 
age. 

18.  They  went  on  to  the  steamer  soon  after  dinner. 

19.  Look  out  of  the  window. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OF     CONJUNCTIONS 

Vulgapisms/ — Every  educated  person  is  expected  to 
know  the  correct  use  of  the  following  words  : — 

Like,  as.— In  good  use  like  is  never  a  conjunction,  and  therefore  it 
cannot  be  used  instead  of  as  to  introduce  a  clause.  It  is  incorrect  to 
say,  "  Wallv  like  I  walk;"  but  one  may  say,  "He  walks  like  me,"  or 
"  He  looks  like  his  gTandfather."^ 

Except,  without,  unless.— ^^ce^?!,  which  was  originally  a  past-parti- 
ciple, was  once  in  good  use  as  a  conjunction;  but  in  modern  use  it 
has  been  displaced  as  a  conjunction  by  unless,  and  is  now  a  preposi- 
tion only.  We  may  say,  "All  went  except  me,"  but  we  may  not  say, 
''Except  you  go  with  me,  I  will  stay  at  home."  Anotlier  word  not 
in  good  use  as  a  conjunction,  but  often  heard  instead  of  "  unless,"  is 
without. 

EXERCISE  LXXXVI. 

Insert  the  proper  word  in  each  blank : — 

Like,  as. 

1.  Do  — I  do. 

2.  She  fears  a  chicken  —  you  fear  a  snake. 

3.  Thin  bushy  hair  falls  down  on  each  side  of  his  face  somewhat 
—  Longfellow's  hair  did  in  liis  later  life. 

4.  I  wish  I  could  sing  —  she  can. 

5.  I  will  be  a  lawyer  —  my  father. 

6.  I  will  be  a  lawyer  —  my  fallier  was. 

7.  She  looks  —  (if)  she  were  crying. 

8.  He  acted  —  (if)  he  were  guilty. 

9.  Our  snow-tunnel  looked  —  we  imagined  Aladdin's  cave  looked. 

10.  He  treated  me  —  a  cat  treats  a  mouse. 

11.  Seventy-five  cents  a  day  will  not  feed  those  men  —  they  wish 
to  be  fed. 

•  "Foundations,"  p.  162.  «  See  page  109. 


OF   CONJQNCTIONS  143 

12.  The  lines  in  this  stanza  are  not  forced  —  in  other  stanzas. 

13.  If  I  were  a  boy  —  Ralph  is,  I  would  try  to  stop  the  thing. 

Except,  without,  unless. 

14.  I  do  not  know  how  my  horse  got  away  —  somebody  untied 
him. 

15.  Do  not  come  —  you  Iiear  from  me. 

16.  I  will  not  go  —  father  is  willing. 

17.  I  will  not  go  —  father's  consent. 

18.  —  you  study  better,  you  will  be  dropped. 

19.  It  will  be  cool  to-morrow  —  a  hot  wave  comes. 

20.  I  cannot  go  —  money. 

21.  I  cannot  go  —  father  sends  me  some  money. 

22.  I  will  be  there  promptly  —  I  hear  from  you. 

23.  Do  not  write  —  you  feel  in  the  mood  for  it. 

24.  She  has  no  fault  —  diffidence. 

25.  She  has  no  fault  —  it  be  diffidence. 

26.  He  cannot  enlist  —  with  his  guardian's  consent. 

Misused  Conjunetions.' — Conjunctions  are  few  in  number 
and  are  more  definite  in  their  meanings  than  prepositions. 
Most  errors  in  using  them  spring  from  confused  thinking 
or  hasty  writing.  "A  close  reasoner  and  a  good  writer  in 
general  may  be  known  by  his  pertinent  use  of  connec- 
tives." ' 

And.— And  has,  generally  speaking,  the  meaning  of  "in  addition 
to." 

But.— i?«/  implies  some  exception,  opposition,  or  contrast.  Equiv- 
alent, or  nearly  equivalent,  expressions  are  "however,"  "on  the 
other  hand,"  "yet,"  "nevertheless." 

As.— "^s  has  so  many  meanings  that  it  is  better,  when  possible,  to 
use  a  conjunction  that  cover's  less  ground." ' 

Because,  for,  since.— The  difference  between  these  words  is  chiefly 
a  difference  in  emphasis.  "  We  will  not  go,  because  it  is  raining  "  is 
the  strongest  way  of  expressing  the  relation  of  cause  and  effect.  In 
''Since  it  is  raining,  we  will  not  go,"  the  emphasis  is  shifted  from 

'  "Foundations,"  p.  152. 

*  Coleridge :  Table  Talk.     Quoted  by  A.  S.  Hill  in  Principles  of  Rhetoric. 

3  "Foundations,"  p.  153. 


144  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

the  cause  to  the  effect,  which  becomes  the  prominent  idea.  In  "  We 
will  not  go,  for  it  is  raining,"  the  reason,  "it  is  raining,"  is  an- 
nounced as  itself  a  bit  of  news.  Often  the  choice  between  these 
words  is  decided  by  the  ear. 

Uo-w.—How  properly  means  "in  what  manner"  or  "to  what  ex- 
tent."    It  is  often  misused  for  "  that "  to  introduce  an  object  clause. 

Nor,  or.— Nor  is  the  correlative  of  TieitTier,  sometimes  of  other  nega- 
tives.    Or  is  the  correlative  of  either. 

Therefore, so.— In  the  sense  of  "for  this  reason,"  t/ierefora  is  pref- 
erable to  so,  since  so  has  other  meanings. 

Though— Though  means  "notwithstanding,"  "in  spite  of  the  fact 
tliat." 

As  If,  as  though.— "^5  ^/'is,  on  the  whole,  preferable  to  as  though."' 

When,  vih\\e.—When  means  " at  the  time  that ;"  while,  "during  the 
time  that,"  "as  long  as."  "  When  fixes  attention  on  a  date  or  period  ; 
while  fixes  attention  on  the  lapse  of  time."^ 

EXERCISE   LXXXVII. 

Insert  the  proper  conjunction  in  each  blank,  if  a  conjunction  is 
needed.     Do  not  confine  your  choice  to  those  mentioned  above : — 

1.  Roland  was  mild  and  modest,  —  Charles  was  coarse  and  boast- 
ful. 

2.  —  they  were  without  provisions,  they  thought  they  should 
starve. 

3.  In  Addison's  day  innumerable  vices  were  prevalent,  —  chief 
among  them  was  the  custom  of  drinking. 

4.  Charles  was  a  large,  brawny  fellow,  —  Orlando  was  a  slender 
youth. 

5.  When  the  barn  was  full  of  people,  the  doors  were  suddenly 
shut  and  bolted  —  the  barn  was  set  on  fire. 

6.  Hereward's  men  wanted  booty,  —  Hereward  took  them  to  the 
Golden  Borough. 

7.  He  read  a  short  —  interesting  account  of  "Theobald's." 

8.  Longfellow  received  a  good  education  —  he  was  not  a  poor  boy 

9.  He  was  disappointed  in  the  speed  of  his  yacht,  —  he  had  ex- 
pected her  to  be  very  fast. 

10.  The  man  said  "to  sell"  was  not  needed  on  the  sign  —  no  one 
would  expect  the  hats  to  be  given  awaj\ 

»  "  Foundatious,"  p.  156.  *  Ibid.,  p,  167. 


OF  CONJUNCTIONS  145 

11.  '/here  is  no  doubt  —  the  eaith  is  spherical. 

12.  I  know  very  little  about  the  "Arabian  Nights" —  I  have 
never  read  that  book. 

13.  When  Gulliver  began  to  pull,  the  ships  would  not  move  — 
their  anchors  held  them. 

14.  He  had  to  be  cautious  in  using  his  Bible  —  at  that  time  read- 
ing it  was  prohibited  ;  —  he  fastened  it  with  tapes  on  the  underside 
of  a  stool. 

15.  The  Liberal  Arts  Building  at  Chicago  had  twice  as  much  iron 
in  its  frame  —  the  Brooklyn  Bridge. 

16.  The  lumbermen  must  keep  open  a  road  to  the  railroad,  —  all 
their  provisions  must  be  brought  from  the  city. 

17.  Scarcely  had  I  thrown  in  my  line  —  I  felt  a  nibble. 

18.  The  fly  seems  to  have  been  created  for  no  other  purpose  —  to 
purify  the  air. 

19.  At  first  you  wonder  where  the  boats  are,  —  on  entering  the 
grove  j'ou  can  see  only  a  small  cabin. 

20.  I  do  not  doubt  —  he  will  succeed.  \ 

21.  I  cannot  deny  —  he  is  lionest. 

22.  He  was  dismissed,  not  so  much  because  he  was  too  young  — 
because  he  was  indolent. 

23.  The  land  is  equally  adapted  to  farming  —  to  pasturage. 

24.  Proportion  is  —  simple  —  compound. 

25.  I  wonder  —  he  will  come. 

26.  Tlie  last  of  the  horses  had  scarcely  crossed  the  bridge  —  the 
head  of  tiie  third  battalion  appeared  on  the  other  side. 

27.  He  looked  as  —  he  could  play  football. 

28.  —  I  saw  lier,  she  was  young  —  beautiful. 

29.  Bruce  spoke  of  himself  as  being  neither  Scotch  —  English. 

30.  I  could  —  buy  —  borrow  it. 

31.  He  has  no  love  —  veneration  for  his  superiors. 

32.  There  was  no  place  so  hidden  —  so  remote  —  the  plague  did 
not  find  it. 

33.  We  need  not,  —  do  not,  complain  of  our  lot. 

34.  He  could  not  deny  —  he  had  borrowed  money, 

35.  There  is  no  question  —  the  universe  has  bounds. 

36.  A  corrupt  government  is  nothing  else  —  a  reigning  sin. 

37.  She  thinks,  I  regret  to  say,  of  little  else  —  clothes. 

38.  O  fairest  flower,  no  sooner  blown  —  blasted. 

39.  There  is  no  other  hat  here  —  mine. 

1 


146  PRACTICAL   EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

40.  —  you  have  come,  I  will  go  with  you. 

41.  —  Virgil  was  the  better  artist,  Homer  was  the  greater  genius. 

42.  He  has  not  decided  —  he  will  let  me  go  to  college. 

43.  Sheep  are  white  —  black. 

44.  The  King  has  no  arbitrary  power;  your  Lordships  have  not, 
—  the  Commons  ;  —  the  whole  Legislature. 

45.  No  tie  of  gratitude  —  of  honor  could  bind  him. 

46.  She  had  no  sooner  arrived  —  she  prepared  to  go  boating. 

47.  Scarcely  had  she  left  the  house  —  she  returned. 

48.  He  was  punished,  —  he  was  guilty. 

49.  He  was  punished,  —  he  was  not  guilty. 

50.  We  cannot  go  —  we  finish  our  task. 

51.  —  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents,  we  started  for  the  lake. 

52.  She  could  —  dance  —  sing,  —  she  played  the  piano. 

53.  I  do  not  know  —  I  shall  walk  —  ride. 

54.  Hardly  had  he  left  the  room  —  the  prisoner  attempted  to  es- 
cape. 

55.  The  chances  are  ten  to  one  —  he  will  forget  it, 

56.  Stand  up  so  —  you  can  be  seen. 

Omitted  Conjunctions. — Careless  writers  sometimes  omit 
conjunctions  that  are  necessary  eitlier  to  the  grammar  or 
to  the  sense.  A  common  form  of  this  fault  is  illustrated 
in  "This  is  as  good  if  not  better  than  that" — a  sentence  in 
which  "as"  is  omitted  after  "  as  good."  The  best  way  to 
correct  the  sentence  is  to  recast  it,  thus  :  "This  is  as  good 
as  that,  if  not  better." 

EXERCISE  LXXXVIII. 

Correct  the  faults  in  these  sentences: — 

1.  Ralph  is  as  young  or  younger  than  Harry. 

2.  Cedar  is  more  durable  but  not  so  hard  as  oak. 

3.  I  never  heard  any  one  speak  more  fluently  or  so  wittily  as  he. 

4.  She  js  fairer  but  not  so  amiable  as  her  sister. 

5.  Though  not  so  old,  he  is  wiser  than  liis  brother. 

Redundant  Conjunetions.' — Careless  writers  sometimes 
insert  conjunctions  that  are  useless  or  worse  than  useless. 

1  See  "Foundations,"  pp.  208-211 


OF   CONJUNCTIONS  147 

A  common  form  of  this  fault  is  the  use  in  certain  cases  of 
"and"  or  "but"  before  the  words  "who,"  "which," 
"when,"  or  "where,"  which  are  themselves  connectives: 
as,  "The  challenge  was  accepted  by  Orlando,  a  young  man 
little  known  up  to  that  time,  but  to  tvhoni  Rosalind  had 
taken  a  great  liking."  If  the  relative  clause  introduced 
by  "  who,"  "  which,"  "  when,"  or  "  where  "  is  to  be  joined 
to  a  preceding  relative  clause,  the  conjunction  is  proper: 
as,  "The  challenge  was  accepted  by  Orlando,  a  young  man 
loho  was  little  known  at  that  time,  but  to  whom  Rosalind 
had  taken  a  great  liking." 

EXERCISE  LXXXIX. 

WhicJh  conjunctions  in  these  sentences  are  redundant? — 

1.  I  have  again  been  so  fortunate  as  to  obtain  the  assistance  of 
Dr.  Jones,  a  teacher  of  great  experience,  and  wliose  ideas  are  quite 
in  harmony  with  my  own. 

2.  Franklin  had  noticed  for  some  time  the  extreme  dirtiness  of 
the  streets,  and  especially  of  the  street  that  he  lived  on. 

3.  Tliis  animal  was  considered  as  irresistible. 

4.  But  how  to  get  him  there  was  a  problem.  But  it  was  decided 
to  convey  him  on  one  of  the  wagons  used  in  carrying  the  Emperor's 
men-of-war  from  the  woods,  where  they  were  made,  to  the  water. 

5.  He  forgot  to  pay  for  the  wine  —  a  shortness  of  memory 
common  with  such  men,  and  which  his  host  did  not  presume  to 
correct. 

6.  Next  came  Louis,  Duke  of  Orleans,  the  first  prince  of  the 
blood  royal,  and  to  whom  the  attendants  rendered  homage  as  the 
future  king. 

7.  So  from  all  this  you  can  see  that  such  things  are  not  impossi- 
ble. 

8.  Her  expi-ession  of  countenance  induced  most  persons  to  ad- 
dress her  with  a  deference  inconsistent  with  her  station,  and  which 
nevertheless  she  received  with  easy  composure. 

9.  Our  escort  consisted  of  MacGregor,  and  five  or  six  of  the  hand- 
somest, best  armed,  and  most  athletic  mountaineers  of  his  band,  and 
whom  he  had  generally  in  immediate  attendance  upon  his  own  per- 
son. 


148  PRACTICAL  EXERCISES   IN   ENGLISH 

10.  The  little  town  of  Lambtos,  Mrs.  Gardiner's  former  home, 
and  where  she  had  lately  learned  that  some  acquaintance  still  re- 
mained. 

11.  He  spoke  in  a  deep  and  low  tone,  but  which  nevertheless  was 
heard  from  one  end  of  the  hall  to  the  other. 

Misplaced  Coppelatives. — When  conjunctions  are  used  as 
correlatives,  as  "  botli-and,"  "  either-or,"  each  of  the  corre- 
lated words  should  be  so  placed  as  to  indicate  clearly  what 
ideas  are  to  be  connected  in  thought.  This  principle  is 
violated  in  "  He  not  only  visited  Paris,  hut  Berlin  alsoy 
In  this  sentence  the  position  of  "  not  only  "  before  the  verb 
"  visited  "  leads  one  to  expect  some  corresponding  verb  in 
the  second  part  of  the  sentence  ;  in  fact,  however,  the  two 
connected  words  are  "  Paris"  and  "Berlin  ;"  "  visited  "  ap- 
plies to  both.  This  meaning  is  clearly  indicated  by  put- 
ting "not  only"  before  "Paris:"  thus,  "He  visited  not 
oyily  Paris,  hut  Berlin  also.'"  As  a  rule  the  word  after  the 
first  correlative  should  be  the  same  part  of  speech  as  the 
word  after  the  second  correlative. 

EXERCISE  XC. 

Correct  the  errors  of  position  in— 

1.  Few  complaints  were  made  either  by  the  men  or  the  women. 

2.  Search-lights  are  not  useful  only  on  ships,  but  also  on  land. 

3.  Adversity  both  teaches  to  think  and  to  be  patient. 

4.  My  uncle  gave  me  not  only  the  boat,  but  also  taught  me  to 
row  it. 

5.  The  prisoner  was  not  only  accused  of  robbery,  but  of  treason. 

6.  The  wise  ruler  does  not  aim  at  the  punishment  of  offenders, 
but  at  the  prevention  of  offences. 

7.  The  king  was  weak  both  in  body  and  mind. 

8.  He  either  is  stupid  or  insolent. 

9.  He  worked  not  to  provide  for  the  future,  but  the  present. 

10.  Every  composition  is  liable  to  criticism  both  in  regard  to  its 
design  and  to  its  execution. 

11.  The  gods  are  either  angry  or  nature  is  too  powerful. 


OF   CONJUNCTIONS  149 

12.  We  are  neither  acquainted  wilh  the  Doctor  uor  with  his  fani- 

iiy. 

13.  In  estiraaling  the  worli  of  Luther,  we  must  neither  forget  the 
temper  of  tiie  man  nor  the  age  in  which  he  lived. 

14.  Tiie  wise  teacher  should  not  aim  to  repress,  but  to  encourage 
his  pupils. 

15.  Such  rules  are  useless  both  for  teaciiers  and  pupils. 

16.  Her  success  is  neither  ine  result  of  cleverness  nor  of  studious- 
ness. 


APPENDIX 


SUGGESTIONS  TO  TEACHERS 

The  following  suggestions  are  made  in  answer  to  many  in- 
quiries from  teachers  who  perceive  the  rare  excellence  of  the 
"  Foundations  of  Rhetoric,"  but  who  do  not  clearly  see,  be- 
cause of  the  novel  method  of  the  book,  how  to  turn  its  merits 
to  account  in  their  class-rooms.  The  suggestions  outline  one 
way  in  which  the  book  has  been  used  to  great  advantage. 

It  should  never  be  forgotten  that  the  illustrative  sentences 
in  the  "  Foundations  "  have  no  value  except  as  they  help  the 
student  to  grasp  a  principle  that  he  can  apply  in  his  own  use 
of  language.  In  every  case  the  emphasis  should  be  laid  on  the 
principle  which  is  announced  or  illustrated.  Merely  learning 
the  corrected  sentences  by  heart  is  useless  and  should  not  be 
permitted. 

In  taking  a  class  over  Part  I.,  which  treats  of  words,  it  is 
the  writer's  practice  to  assign  a  short  lesson — from  one  to 
three  pages  —  in  connection  with  every  recitation  in  English. 
The  leading  ideas  and  most  typical  sentences  in  each  lesson 
are  privately  marked  in  the  teacher's  book  with  colored  pencil, 
so  that  they  may  readily  catch  his  eye,  and  from  five  to  twelve 
minutes  of  each  recitation  period  are  taken  up  with  a  rapid 
questioning  on  these  leading  ideas  and  typical  sentences. 
Corrections  or  answers  unaccompanied  by  reasons  are  not  ac- 
cepted. Attention  is  always  fixed,  not  on  the  form  of  the 
illustrative  sentence,  but  on  the  principle  of  usage  under  dis- 
cussion.    Pupils  would   rather   commit   to    memory  the    sen- 


152  APPENDIX 

tences  than  trouble  themselves  about  reasons ;  but  they  will 
master  reasons  when  they  find  they  must.  After  principles 
have  been  mastered,  exercises  in  the  choice  of  forms  and 
words  are  needed  in  order  that  knowledge  may  be  converted 
into  habit. 

In  Parts  II.  and  III.  the  lessons  are  equally  short  and  the 
emphasis  is  unceasingly  laid  on  the  question  "  Why  ?"  If  the 
subject  is  difficult,  it  is  desirable,  at  the  time  that  the  lesson 
is  assigned,  to  lead  the  class  over  the  text  and  some  of  the 
illustrative  sentences  in  order  to  open,  as  it  were,  the  eyes  of 
the  pupils.  Since  these  parts  of  the  book  treat  not  of  single 
words,  but  of  sentences  and  paragraphs,  recitations  on  them 
seem  to  call  for  the  use  of  pencil  or  chalk.  One  successful 
teacher  conducts  the  recitation  with  books  open,  requiring 
her  pupils  to  cover  the  correct  sentences  with  a  strip  of  paper 
while  they  explain  and  correct  the  faults  in  the  incorrect  sen- 
tences. The  writer's  practice  is  to  paste  the  faulty  sentences 
on  cards  of  convenient  size  and  thickness — the  arrangement 
of  columns  is  such  that  the  sentences  can  all  be  cut  from  one 
old  book — and  to  distribute  them  among  eight  or  ten  pupils  at 
the  beginning  of  the  recitation  hour.  While  other  matters  are 
being  attended  to,  these  pupils  write  the  sentences  in  correct 
form  on  the  blackboard,  and,  when  the  time  comes,  give  their 
reasons  for  the  changes  which  they  have  made.  Their  work 
is  discussed,  if  necessary,  by  the  whole  class.  Reviews  and 
written  tests  should  be  frequent.  As  fast  as  the  various  prin- 
ciples explained  and  illustrated  in  Parts  II.  and  III.  are  stud- 
ied, the  attention  of  pupils  should  be  immediately  turned  to 
their  own  writing.  It  will  be  far  more  profitable  for  them  to 
correct  their  own  offences  against  clearness,  force,  ease,  and 
unity  than  to  correct  similar  offences  committed  by  others. 
For  this  reason  the  Practical  Exercises  in  English  contains 
no  exercises  on  the  subjects  discussed  in  Parts  II.  and  III. 
of  the  "  Foundations." 


INDEX 


A,  an,  or  the,  12. 

Abbot,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Abbreviations,  22. 

Ability,  capacity,  distinguished,  29. 

Abundance,  plenty,  distinguished,  32. 

Accept,  except,  distinguished,  99. 

A  cceptance,  acceptation,  distinguished, 
25. 

Access,  accession,  distinguished,  25. 

Accredit,  ci'edit,  distinguished,  92. 

Actor,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Acts,  actions,  distinguished,  25. 

Adherence,  adhesion,  distinguished,  29. 

Adjectives,  109-133  ;  defined,  109  ; 
vulgarisms  in  the  use  of,  109-113; 
singular  and  plural,  110;  adjective 
or  adverb,  113-116;  redundant, 
117-118;  misused,  119-129;  use 
of  the  comparative  and  superlative 
degrees,  129-131;  adjectives  in- 
capable of  comparison,  131-132; 
misplaced,  132-133. 

Admit,  confess,  distinguished,  95. 

Advance,  advancement,  distinguished, 
25. 

Advepbs,  109-133;  defined,109;  vul- 
garisms in  the  use  of,  109-113; 
adverb  or  adjective,  113-116;  re- 
dundant, 117-118;  misused,  119- 
129;  use  of  the  comparative  and 
superlative  degrees,  129-131  ;  ad- 
verbs incapable  of  comparison, 
131-132;  misplaced,  132-133;  be- 
tween to  and  the  infinitive,  133. 

Advise  distinguished  from  advertise, 

99  ;  from  persuade,  100. 
Affect,  effect,  distinguished,  99. 
Affirm, claim,,maintain,A\?,imgms\\.eA, 

'94-95. 
Afraid,  scared,  distinguished,  124. 


Aggravating, irritating,6.\simgn\sh&6L 
'119. 

AinH,  71. 

Alienisms,  defined,  10. 

Alight,  light,  distinguished,  62. 

All  distinguished  from  the  whole,  23  ; 
from  each,  56  ;  after  comparatives, 
129. 

Allege,  affirm,  assert,  etc.,  distin- 
guished, 94. 

Alleviate,  relieve,  distinguished,  99. 

Allow,  admit,  think,  distinguished,  99 

Allude  to,  refer  to,  mention,  distin- 
guished, 99. 

Allusio7i,  illusion,  delusion,  distin- 
guished, 25. 

Almost,  most,  distinguished,  109. 

Alone,  only,  distinguished,  116. 

Alumnus,  alumna,  plural  of,  20. 

Americanisms,  defined,  10. 

Among,  between,  distinguished,  184. 

Amount,  quantity,  number,  distin- 
guislied,  29. 

Analysis,  plural  of,  20. 

And^  143. 

Anglicisms,  defined,  10. 

Angry,  mad,  distinguished,  123. 

Antagonize,  oppose,  distinguished,  94. 

Anticipate,  expect,  suspect,  distin- 
guished, 101. 

Any,  with  comparatives  and  superla- 
tives, 129. 

Any  one,  number  of,  68 ;  distin- 
guished from  either,  55-56. 

Apparently,  evidently,  manifestly,  dis- 
tinguished, 122. 

Appear, materinlize,  distinguished,  95. 

Apt,  likely,  liable,  distinguished,  119. 

Archaic,  defined,  10. 

Aren't,  71. 


154 


INDEX 


Argue,  augur,  distinguished,  99. 

Argument,  plea,  distinguished,  29. 

Arise,  rise,  distinguished,  92. 

Articles,  12-15;  meaning  of,  12; 
generic,  12;  superfluous  and  omit- 
ted, 13. 

As,  clause  after,  often  omitted  in 
part,  45  note  2;  a  relative  pro- 
noun, 54 ;  distinguished  from  that 
after  same,  54 ;  from  so  when  cor- 
relative with  as,  119-120;  from 
like,  142. 

As  if  preferred  to  as  though,  144. 

As  well  as,  words  joined  to  the  sub- 
ject by,  89. 

Ask,  demand,  distinguished,  95. 

Assert,  allege,  declare,  etc.,  distin- 
guished, 94-95. 

Assertion,  s<«<emew<,  distinguished,  23. 

At,  in,  before  names  of  places,  dis- 
tinguished, 134. 

Augur,  argue,  distinguished,  99. 

Auxiliary  verbs,  defined,  72. 

Average,  ordinari/,  distinguished,  122. 

Avocation,  vocation,  distinguished,  25. 

Awake,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Awful,  124. 

Bachelor,  feminine  corresponding  to, 
21. 

Back  of,  134. 

Bacterium,  plural  of,  20. 

Balance,  rest,  remainder,  distin- 
guished, 29. 

Barbarism,  defined,  10. 

Barge,  for  omnibus,  4. 

Beau,  plural  of,  21. 

Because,  for,  since,  distinguished,  143. 

Began,  begun,  distinguished,  61. 

Begin,  principal  parts  of,  61 ;  distin- 
guished from  commence,  start,  100- 
101. 

Beseech,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Beside,  besides,  distinguished,  134. 

Between,  among,  distinguished,  134. 

Bible,  quoted,  3. 

Bid,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Blow,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Bound,determined,  distinguished,  122. 

Both,  each,  every,  distinguished,  119. 

Break,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Bring,  fetch,  carry,  distinguished,  94. 


Broke,  broken,  distinguished,  61. 
Buck,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 
Bullock,  feminine  corresponding  to, 

21. 
Burglarize,  10. 
Burst,  principal  parts  of,  61. 
But,  143. 
By,  with,  distinguished,  134. 

Calculate,  intend,  distinguished,  94. 

Can  or  m,ay,  71. 

CanH,  71. 

Canto,  plural  of,  18. 

Capacity,  ability,  distinguished,  29. 

Captivate,  capture,  distinguished,  92. 

Carry,  fetch,  bring,  distinguished,  94. 

Case,  possessive,  of  nouns,  17 ;  of 
pronouns,  43  ;  nominative  or  ob- 
jective, 43-50. 

Centre,  middle,  distinguished,  30. 

CENTnRY  Dictionary,  quoted,  25,  26, 
32,  54,  92,  99,  1 16. 

Champion,  siipport,  distinguished,  94. 

Ciiange  of  pronoun,  56-58. 

Character,  reputation,  distinguished, 
30. 

Chaucer,  quoted,  72. 

Cherub,  plural  of,  21. 

Choose,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Claim,  assert,  allege,  etc.,  distin- 
guished, 94-95. 

Coleridge,  S.  T.,  quoted,  143. 

Colloquialisms,  defined,  10. 

Come,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Commence,  begin,  start,  distinguished, 
100-101. 

Common,  mutual,  distinguished,  119. 

Compare  with,  compare  to,  contrast, 
distinguislied,  99. 

Comparative  and  superlative,  use  of 
the,  129-131. 

Comparison,  adjectives  and  adverbs 
incapable  of,' 131-132. 

Complement,  compliment,  distin- 
guished, 30. 

Completion,  completeness,  distin- 
guished, 26. 

Compound  nouns,  possessive  of,  16 ; 
plural  of,  18. 

Conditional  mood,  85  ;  sentences,  85- 
86. 

Confess,  admit,  distinguished,  95. 


INDEX 


165 


Conjunctions,  142-149 ;  vulgarisms 
in  the  use  of,  142-143 ;  misused, 
143-146;  omitted,  146;  redundant, 
146-148 ;  misplaced  correlatives, 
148-149. 

Conscience,  consciousness,  distin- 
guished, 30. 

Qnislrue,  construct,  distinguished,  99. 

Continual,  continuous,  distinguished, 
122. 

Contractions,  43,  71. 

Contrast,  compare  to,  compare  with, 
distinguished,  99. 

Conversation  and  good  use,  7. 

Convince,  convict,  distinguished,  99. 

Could,  distinguished  from  might,  71- 
72 ;  tense  of  tlie  infinitive  with, 
79. 

Council,  counsel,  distinguished,  30. 

Countess,  masculine  corresponding  to, 
21. 

Credit,  accredit,  distinguished,  92. 

Crisis,  phu-al  of,  21. 

Cnrricidum,  plural  of,  21. 

Custom,  habit,  distinguished,  30. 

Czar,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

DaresnH,  71. 

Datum,  plural  of,  21. 

Deadly,  deathly,  distinguished,  122. 

Deception,  deceit,  distinguished,  30. 

Declare,  assert,  claim,  etc.,  distin- 
guished, 94-95. 

Decided,  decisive,  distinguished,  122. 

Delusion,  illusion,  allusion,  distin- 
guished, 25. 

Demand,  ask,  distinguished,  96. 

Dependent  clauses,  will  or  shall  in, 
73  ;  tenses  in,  78. 

Depreciate,  deprecate,  distinguished, 
92-93. 

Detect,  discriminate,  distinguished, 99. 

Dete7-mined,bo7ind, distingynshed,  122. 

Dictionaries,  usefulness  of,  9;  quoted, 
see  Century  a!id  Murray. 

Die  (noun),  plurals  of,  19. 

Different  from,  different  to,  134. 

DiscJose,  discover,  distinguished,  99. 

Discover,  invent,  distinguished,  31. 

Discrimi7iate,  detect,  distinguished,  99. 

Dive,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Do,  principal  parts  of,  61. 


Doe,  masculine  corresponding  to,  21. 

DoesnH,  71. 

Dominate,  domineer,  distinguished, 
99. 

Don't,  71. 

Drake,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Dra7ik,  drunk,  distinguished,  62. 

Drive,  principal  parts  of,  61  ;  distin- 
guished from  ride,  99. 

i)HfX:,  masculine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Duke,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Dumb,  stupid,  distinguished,  122. 

Duodecimo,  plural  of,  18. 

Each, distinguished  from  a//, 56 ;  from 
every  and  both,  119;  number  of,  58, 
89. 

Earl,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Earlk,  John,  quoted,  82. 

Eat,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Eff'ect,  affect,  distinguished,  99. 

Egoists,  egotists  ;  egoism,  egotism,  dis- 
tinguished, 30. 

Either,  distinguished  from  any  one, 
55-56  ;  number  of,  58,  89. 

Either — or,  number  of  the  verb  with 
singular  subjects  connected  by,  89. 

Electrocute,  10. 

Elegant,  124. 

Elicit,  eliminate,  distinguished,  100. 

Emerson,  R.W.,  quoted,  124. 

Emigration,  immigration,  distin- 
guished, 30. 

Eminent,  prominent,  distinguished, 
123. 

Enormity,  enormousness,  distin- 
guished, 30. 

Enthuse,  10. 

Esteem,  estimate,  estimation,  distin- 
guished, nouns,  30;  verbs,  100. 

Every,  number  of,  58,  89 ;  distin- 
guished from  each  and  both,  119. 

Everywheres,  110. 

Evidently,  apparently,  manifestly,  dis- 
tinguished, 122. 

Ewe,  masculine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Except,  accept,  distinguished,  99. 

Except,  without,  unless,  distinguished, 
142. 

Existing,  extant,  distinguished,  122. 

Expect,  suspect,  anticipate,  distin- 
guished, 101. 


156 


INDEX 


Expose,  expound,  distinguished,  100. 
Extant,  existing,  distinguished,  122. 

Falsity,  falseness,  distinguished,  31. 

Fetch,  bring,  carry,  distiuguished,  94. 

i^ewer, /ess,  .sma//er,  distinguished,  109. 

Figures,  plural  of,  19. 

Find,  locate,  distinguished,  100. 

Fish,  plurals  of,  19. 

Flee,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Fled,  flew,  fiown,  distinguished,  61. 

Fly,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

For,  because,  since,  distinguished,  143- 

144. 
Fo7;    on,   after   wait,   distinguished, 

135. 
Foreign   origin,  plural  of  nouns  of, 

20-21. 
Foreignisms,  defined,  10. 
Forget,  principal  parts  of,  61. 
Foundations     of    Rhetoric,    A.   S. 

Hill's,  9  ;  quoted,  6,  17,  54,  57,  61, 

62,  113,   119,  133,    134,    135,  136, 

143,  144. 
Frances,  Francis,  distinguished,  21. 
Freeze,  principal  parts  of,  61. 
Frighten,  100. 

Froze,  frozen,  distinguished,  61. 
Funny,  odd,  distinguished,  122. 

Gallicisms,  defined,  10. 

Gander,  feminine  corresponding  to, 
21. 

Gender,  nouns  of  different,  21. 

Ge?iius,  plural  of,  21. 

Genus,  plural  of,  21. 

Gerunds,  50-51. 

Get,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Go,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Good  reading,  the  foundation  of  good 
writing  and  speaking,  8. 

Good  Use,  3-11 ;  defined,  6;  conver- 
sation and,  7 ;  newspapers  and,  7  ; 
not  to  be  learned  from  any  one 
book  or  writer,  7 ;  to  be  learned 
from  good  reading,  8 ;  and  from 
dictionaries,  9;  and  from  books 
like  the  "Foundations  of  Rheto- 
ric," 9. 

Good,  well,  distinguished,  109. 

Goose,  masculine  corresponding  to, 
21. 


Gorgeous,  124. 
Gotten  for  got,  61. 
Grand,  124. 
Gums  for  overshoes,  4. 

Habit,  custom,  distinguished,  30. 

ffalo,  plural  of,  18. 

Hang,  principal  parts  of,  61. 

Happen,  transpire,  distinguished,  96. 

Hart,  feminine  of,  21. 

He,  him,  himself,  proper  choice 
among,  43-45. 

He,  his,  him,  for  mankind  in  general, 
58. 

Healthy,  healthfid,  wholesome,  distin- 
guished, 122-123. 

Heifer,  masculine  corresponding  to, 
21. 

Her,  herself,  she,  proper  choice  among, 
43-45. 

Hero,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Hill,  A.  S.,  quoted,  6,  8,  17,  25,  26, 
29,  30,  31,  32,  33,  54,  61,  62,  74, 
89,  92,  95,  99,  100,  113,  119,  122, 
123,  133,  134,  135,  140,  143,  144. 

Him,  his,  before  verbal  nouns,  51. 

Him,  himself,  he,  proper  choice 
among,  43-45. 

Hind,  masculine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Hi7-e,  let,  lease,  distinguished,  95. 

His,  him,  before  verbal  nouns,  51. 

Home,  distinguished  from  house,  23 ; 
preposition  before,  140. 

How,  144. 

Human,  humane,  distinguished,  123. 

Hung,  hanged,  distinguished,  61. 

Hypothesis,  plural  of,  21. 

/,  me,  myself,  proper  choice  among, 
43-45." 

Identity,  identification,  distinguished, 
31. 

Illusion,  allusion,  delusion,  distin- 
guished, 25. 

Illy,  110. 

Immigration,  emigration,  distin- 
guished, 30. 

Import,  importance,  distinguished,  31. 

Improprieties,  defined,  10. 

Impugn,  impute,  distinguished,  93. 

In,  at,  into,  on,  distinguished,  184- 
135. 


INDEX 


157 


In  addition  to,  words  joined  to  tlie 
subject  by,  89. 

Indez^  plurals  of,  19. 

Indicative,  use  of  the  perfect,  78  ;  in- 
dicative or  subjunctive,  82-89. 

Infinitive,  tenses  of  the,  78-79;  ad- 
verbs between  to  and  the,  133. 

Inquire,  investigate,  distinguished, 
100. 

Insure,  secure,  distinguished,  100. 

Intend,  calculate,  distinguished,  94. 

Invent,  discover,  distinguished,  31. 

Investigate,  inquire,  distinguished, 
100. 

It,  its,  before  verbal  nouns,  51. 

Junto,  plural  of,  18. 

Laid,  lay,  lain,  distinguished,  61-62. 

Lasso,  plural  of,  18. 

Last,  latest,  distinguished,  123. 

Lay,  lie,  laid,  lain,  distinguished, 
61-62. 

Learn,  teach,  distinguished,  95. 

Lease,  let,  hire,  distinguislied,  95. 

Leave,  let,  distinguished,  100. 

Lend,  loan,  distinguished,  93. 

Lengthy,  long,  distinguished,  123. 

Lcss,fewer, smaller,  distinguished,  109. 

Leaser,  110. 

Let,  leave,  distinguished,  100. 

Let,  lease,  hire,  distinguished,  95. 

Letters,  plural  of,  19. 

Liable,  likely,  apt,  distinguished,  119. 

Lio,  lay,  distinguished,  61-62;  prin- 
cipal parts  of,  62. 

Light,  alight,  distinguished,  62. 

Light-complected,  110. 

Lighted,  Hi,  distinguished,  62. 

Like,  as,  distinguished,  142. 

Like,  likely,  probably,  distinguished, 
109. 

Like,  love,  distinguished,  95. 

Likely,  liable,  apt,  distinguished,  119. 

Limit,  limitation,  distinguished,  31. 

Lion,  feminine  of,  21. 

Loan,  lend,  distinguished,  93. 

Locate,  find,  distinguished,  100. 

Long,  lengthy,  distinguished,  123. 

Lot,  number,  distinguished,  31. 

Love,  like,  distinguished,  95. 

Lovely,  124. 


Mad,  angry,  distinguished,  123. 

Magnificent,  124. 

Manifestly,  evidently,  apparently,  dis- 
tinguished, 122. 

Maintain,  assert,  allege,  etc.,  distin- 
guished, 94-95. 

Majority ,  plurality ,  distinguished,  31. 

Man  after  man,  number  of,  58. 

Many,  much,  distinguished,  119. 

Many  a,  number  of,  89. 

Marquis,  feminine  of,  21. 

Materialize,  appear,  distinguished,  95. 

May,  can,  distinguished,  71. 

Me,  myself,  I,  proper  choice  among, 
43-45. 

Me,  my,  before  verbal  nouns,  51. 

Memento,  plural  of,  18. 

Mention,  refer  to,  allude  to,  distin- 
guished, 99. 

Middle,  centre,  distinguished,  30. 

Might,  distinguished  from  could,  71 ; 
tense  of  tlie  infinitive  with,  79. 

Misplaced  adjectives  and  adverbs, 
132-133;  correlatives,  148-149. 

Misused  nouns,  22-42;  verbs,  92-1 08; 
adjectives  and  adverbs,  119-129; 
prepositions,  134-139 ;  conjunc- 
tions, 143-146. 

Monk,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Most,  almost,  distinguished,  109. 

Much,  many,  distinguished,  1 19. 

Muchly,  110. 

Murray's  Dictionary,  quoted,  54, 
94,  101,  119. 

Must,  tense  of  the  infinitive  with, 
78-79. 

Mutual,  commow,  distinguished,  119. 

My,  me,  before  verbal  nouns,  51,  52. 

Myself,  me,  I,  proper  choice  among, 
43-45. 

National  use,  4-6. 

Near,  nearly,  distinguished,  109. 

Need,  tense  of  the  infinitive  with, 
78-79. 

Negligence,  ouglect,  distinguished,  31. 

Neither,  number  of,  58,  89 ;  distin- 
guished from  no  one,  55-66. 

Neither — nor,  number  of  the  verb 
with  singular  subjects  joined  by, 
89. 

New,  novel,  distinguished,  123. 


158 


INDEX 


Newspapers  and  good  use,  7. 

Nobody,  number  of,  58. 

Nominative  or  objective,  43-50. 

iVo  one,  we?7Aer,  choice  bet  ween,  5  5-56. 

Nor,  or,  ciioice  between,  144. 

Notional  verbs,  defined,  72. 

Nouns,  16-42;  form  of  the  possessive 
case,  16-17  ;  use  and  misuse  of  the 
possessive  c:ise,  17-18 ;  singuhir 
and  plural,  18-21  ;  plural  forms  of 
foreign  origin,  20;  gender,  21 ;  ab- 
breviations, 22  ;  misused,  22-42  ; 
gerunds  and  verbal  nouns,  50-61. 

Novel,  new,  distinguished,  123. 

Novice,  novitiate,  distinguished,  31. 

Nowhere  near,  110. 

Number,  singular  and  plural,  of 
nouns,  18-21  ;  of  pronouns,  58- 
60;  of  verbs,  89-92;  of  adjectives, 
110. 

Number,  distinguished  from  quantity 
and  amount,  29;  from  lot,  31. 

Number,  quantity,  amount,  distin- 
guished, 29. 

Nun,  masculine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Oasis,  plural  of,  21. 

Objective  case,  43-50. 

Observance,  observation,  distinguished, 

26. 
Obsolete,  defined,  4, 
Octavo,  plural  of,  18. 
Odd,  fmmy,  distinguished,  122, 
0/"  after  verbal  nouns,  51. 
Of  which,  whose,  choice  between,  54. 
Omitted  articles,  13;  pronouns,  60; 

adverbs,  117;    prepositions,  140; 

conjunctions,  146. 
On,  in,  before  names  of  streets,  dis- 
tinguished, 135. 
On,for,  after  wa^i,  distinguished,  135. 
O^ie,    possessive    and    reflexive    of, 

56-57. 
Only,  distinguished  from  alone,  116  ; 

position  of,  132. 
Onto,  135. 

Oppose,  antagonize,  distinguished,  94. 
Or,  nor,  use  of,  144. 
Oral,  verbal,  distinguished,  123. 
Ordinary,  average,  distinguished,  1 22. 
Organisrn,organization,dis\\i\^n\s\\QA, 

31. 


Other,  with  comparatives  and  super- 
latives, 129. 

Ought,  tense  of  the  infinitive  with, 
78-79. 

Our,  us,  before  verbal  nouns,  51. 

Ourselves,we,  us,  proper  choice  among, 
43-46. 

Parenthesis,  plural  of,  21. 

Part,  portion,  distinguished,  31. 

Participle,  defined,  50. 

Partly,  partially,  distinguished,  119. 

Parts  of  verbs,  principiil,  61-62. 

Party,  person,  distinguished,  23. 

Penny,  plurals  of,  19. 

Perfect  indicative,  78;  infinitive, 
78-79. 

Person,  change  from  one  to  another 
in  pronouns,  56-57. 

Person,  party,  distinguished,  23. 

Persuade,  advise,  distinguished,  100. 

Phenomenon,  plural  of,  21. 

Piano,  [)Iural  of,  18. 

Pitiable,  pitiful,  distinguished,  123. 

Plea,  argument,  distinguished,  29.   ' 

Plead,  principal  parts  of,  62. 

Plenty,  distinguished  from  abundance, 
32 ;  as  adjective  and  adverb,  109- 
110. 

Plural  of  nouns,  18-21;  of  pronouns, 
58-60;  of  verbs,  89-92;  of  adjec- 
tives, 110. 

Plurality,  majority,  distinguished,  31. 

Portion,  part,  distinguished,  SI. 

Possessive  case,  of  nouns,  16;  of 
pronouns,  43. 

Practicable,  practical,  distinguished, 
123. 

Predicate,  predict,  distinguished,  100. 

Predominance,  prominence,  distin- 
guished, 32. 

Prepositions,  134-141  ;  misused, 
134-139;  omitted,  140;  redun- 
dant, 140. 

Prescribe,  proscribe,  distinguished, 
100. 

Present  use,  3-4. 

Principal  parts  of  verbs,  61-62. 

Probably,  likely,  like,  distinguished, 
109. 

Produce,  product,  production,  distin- 
guished, 32. 


INDEX 


159 


Prominence,  predominance,  distin- 
guished, 32. 

Prominent,  eminent,  distinguished, 
123. 

Pronouns,  43-60;  possessive  case 
of,  43,  56;  in  "self,"  44-45;  be- 
fore verbal  nouns,  50-51 ;  choice 
of  relative,  53-55;  omission  of, 
53-54  ;  change  of,  56-57  ;  singu- 
lar or  plural,  58;  omitted,  60;  re- 
dundant, 60. 

Proper  nouns,  plural  of,  18 ;  19 
note  3. 

Proposal,  proposition,  distinguished, 
26. 

Propose,  purpose,  distinguished,  100. 

Proscribe,  prescribe,  distinguished, 
100. 

Prove,  principal  parts  of,  62. 

Provincialisms,  defined,  10. 

Proviso,  plural  of,  18. 

Punctuation  of  relative  clauses,  53. 

Purpose,  propose,  distinguished,  100. 

Quantity,    number,    amount,    distin- 
guished, 29. 
Quarto,  plural  of,  18. 
Quite,  very,  distinguished,  119. 

Raise,  principal  parts  of,  62 ;  distin- 
guished from  rise,  62. 

Ram,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Rang,  rung,  distinguished,  62. 

Real,  really,  very,  distinguished,  124. 

Receipt,  recipe,  distinguished,  32. 

Recourse,  resource,  resort,  distin- 
guished, 32. 

Redundant  articles,  13 ;  pronouns, 
60;  adjectives  and  adverbs,  117; 
prepositions,  140 ;  conjunctions, 
146-147. 

Refer  to,  allude  to,  mention,  distin- 
guished, 99. 

Reflexive  pronouns,  45,  67. 

Relation,  relationship,  distinguished, 
26. 

Relative,  relation,  distinguished,  32. 

Relative  pronouns,  53-64. 

Relieve,  alleviate,  distinguished,  99. 

Remainder,  rest,  balance,  distin- 
guished, 29. 

Repel,  repulse,  distinguished,  100. 


Reputable  u.se,  6. 

Reputation,  character,  distinguished, 
30. 

Requirement,  requisite,  requisition, 
distinguished,  32. 

Resort,  resoiirce,  recourse,  distin- 
guished, 32. 

Rest,  remainder,  balance,  distin- 
guished, 29. 

Ride,  principal  parts  of,  62;  distin- 
guished from  drive,  4,  99. 

Rise,  principal  parts  of,  62;  distin- 
guished from  raise,  62  ;  from  arise, 
92. 

Run,  principal  parts  of,  62. 

Same  as,  same  that,  distinguished,  54. 

Sang,  sung,  distinguished,  62. 

Sank,  sunk,  distinguished,  62. 

Sat,  set,  S'it,  62. 

Scared,  afraid,  distinguished,  124. 

Secoiid,  secondly,  distinguished,  110. 

Secreting,  secretion,  distinguished,  32. 

Secui-e,  insure,  distinguished,  100. 

See,  principal  parts  of,  62. 

Self,  pronouns  in,  44-45,  57. 

Sequence  of  tenses,  78. 

Seraph,  plural  of,  21. 

Series,  succession,  distinguished,  23. 

Set,  principal    parts    of,  62  ;    distin. 

guished  from  sit,  62. 
Sewage,  seiverage,  distinguished,  82. 
Shake,  principal  parts  of,  62. 
Shall  ov^uill,' 12-11. 
She,  her,  herself,  proper  choice  among, 

43-45. 
Shoe,  principal  parts  of,  62. 
Shot,  plurals  of,  19. 
Should  distinguished  from  woidd,  74, 

77 ;  in  sense  of  ought,  tense  of  the 

infinitive  with,  78-79. 
Shoiv,  principal  parts  of,  62. 
Shrank,  shrunk,  distinguished,  62. 
Since,  for,  because,  distinguished,  143. 
Singular  and  plural,  nouns,  18-21; 

pronouns,  58-60;    verbs,  89,  92; 

adjectives,  110. 
Sit,  principal   parts   of,  62;    distin- 
guished from  set  and  sat,  62. 
Situation,  site,  distinguished,  32. 
Slang,  defined,  10. 
Slay,  principal  parts  of,  62. 


160 


INDEX 


Slew,  slain,  distinguished,  62. 

Smaller,  fewer,  less,  distinguished,  109. 

So  or  as,  correlative  to  as,  119-120. 

So,  therefore,  distinguislied,  144. 

Solecisms,  defined,  10. 

Solicitude,  solicitation,  distinguished, 
26. 

Solo,  plural  of,  18. 

Some,  somewhat,  something,  distin- 
guished, 110. 

SONNEKSCHEIN,      PROFESSOR,      QUOtcd, 

83. 

Speak,  principal  parts  of,  62. 

Speciality,  specialty,  distinguished,  33. 

Splendid,  124. 

Spoke,  spioken,  distinguished,  62. 

Sprang,  sprm^g,  distinguished,  62. 

Staff,  plurals  of,  19. 

Slag,  feminine  corresponding  to,  21. 

Start,  begin,  comm.ence,  distinguished, 
100-101. 

State,  declare,  assert,  etc.,  distin- 
guished, 94-95. 

Statement,  assertion, distinguished,  23. 

Stay,  stop,  distinguished,  95. 

Steal,  principal  parts  of,  62. 

Stiletto,  plural  of,  18. 

Stimulant,  stimulation,  stimulus,  dis- 
tinguished, 26. 

Stole,  stolen,  distinguished,  62. 

Stop,  stay,  distinguished,  95. 

Stratum,  plural  of,  21. 

Stupid,  dumb,  distinguished,  122. 

Subjunctive,  82-89;  forms  of,  83-84; 
uses  of,  84-86  ;  in  conditional  sen- 
tences, 85-86  ;  in  wishes,  86. 

Succession,  series,  distinguished,  23. 

Suggestions  to  teachers,  151. 

Sill  tan,  feminine  of,  21. 

Superfluous  articles,  13 ;  pronouns, 
60;  adjectives  and  adverbs,  117- 
118;  prepositions,  140;  conjunc- 
tions, 146-147. 

Superlative,  use  of  the,  129-131. 

Support,  champion,  distinguished,  94. 

Suspect,  expect,  anticipate,  distin- 
guished, 101. 

Swam,  swum,  distinguished,  62. 

Symbols,  plural  of,  19. 

Tableau,  plural  of,  21. 
Take,  principal  parts  of,  62. 


Teach,  learn,  distinguished,  95. 

Teachers,  suggestions  to,  151-152. 

Tense,  questions  of,  78-82 ;  in  con- 
ditional sentences,  85 ;  in  wishes, 
86. 

Testimony,  verdict,  distinguished,  28. 

Than,  clause  after,  often  omitted  in 
part,  45  note  2. 

That  distinguished  from  as  after 
same,  54. 

That,  those,  110. 

That,  who,  which,  as  relatives,  53- 
54. 

The  or  a,  12. 

The  before  verbal  nouns,  51. 

I'hee,  thyself,  thou,  proper  choice 
among,  43-45. 

Their,  them,  before  verbal  nouns,  51, 

Them,,  themselves,  they,  proper  choice 
among,  43-45. 

Tlierefore,  so,  choice  between,  144. 

Tliese,  this,  110. 

Thesis,  plural  of,  21. 

They,  them,  themselves,  proper  choice 
among,  43-45. 

TJiis,  these,  110. 

Those,  that,  110. 

Tliou,  thee,  thyself,  proper  choice 
among,  43-45. 

Though,  144 ;  verbs  in  clauses  intro- 
duced by,  86. 

Throw,  principal  parts  of,  62. 

Tliyself  thee,  thou,  proper  choice 
among,  43-45. 

Tiger,  feminine  of,  21. 

Together  with,  words  joined  to  the 
subject  by,  89. 

Torso,  plural  of,  18. 

Transpire,  happen,  distinguished,  96. 

Tyro,  plural  of,  18. 

Unbeknown,  110. 

Union,  unity,  distinguished,  33. 

Unless,  verbs  in  clauses  introduced 
by,  86 ;  distinguished  from  with- 
out and  except,  142. 

Us  or  our  before  verbal  nouns,  51. 

Us,  ourselves,  we,  proper  choice  among, 
43-45. 

Use,  Good,  3-1 1  ;  defined,  6  ;  con- 
versation and, 7  ;  newspapers  and, 
7 ;  no  one  book  or  writer  decisive 


INDEX 


161 


of,  1~8 ;    relation    of   dictionaries 
to,  9. 
Use,  present,  3-4;  national,  4-6  ;  re- 
putable, 6. 

Verbal  nouns,  construction  with, 
50-51. 

Verbal,  oral,  distinguished,  123. 

Verbs,  61-108  ;  principal  parts  often 
misused,  Bl-TO  ;  contractions,  71 ; 
may  or  caii.,  71 ;  luill  or  shall,  72-76 ; 
notional  and  auxiliary,  defined,  72  ; 
would  or  should,  74-77  ;  questions 
of  tense,  78-82 ;  indicative  or  sub- 
junctive, 82-89;  singular  or  plural, 
89-92;  misused,  92-108. 

Verdict,  testimony,  distinguished,  23. 

Very,  distinguished  from  quite,  119; 
fi'om  real,  really,  124. 

Visitor,  visitant,  33. 

Vocation,  avocation,  distinguished, 
25-26. 

Vulgarisms,  defined,  10;  in  the  use 
of  adjectives  and  adverbs,  109- 
113;  of  conjunctions,  142-143. 

Wait   for,    wait    on,   distinguished, 

135. 
Wake,  principal  parts  of,  62. 


We, us,owselves,i)roi)er  choice  among, 

43-45. 
Well,  good,  distinguished,  109. 
Wendell,  Barrett,  quoted,  7-8. 
Went,  gone,  distinguislied,  61. 
What  as  a  relative  pronoun,  54. 
When,  while,  distinguished,  144. 
Which,  who,  that    (relative),   propei 

clioice  among,  53-55. 
Who,  ivhom,  choice  between,  43-45. 
Who,  which,   that   (relative),  proper 

choice  among,  53-55. 
Whoever,  whomever,  clioice  between, 

45. 
Whole,  all,  distinguished,  23. 
Wholesome,  healthy,  healthful,  distin- 
guished, 122-123. 
Whose,  of  which,  choice  between,  54. 
Will  or  'shall,  72-76. 
Wishes,  moods  and  tenses  in,  86. 
lF^7e/i,masculinecorrespondingto,  21. 
With,  words  joined  to  the  subject  by, 

89;  distinguished  from  hy,  134. 
Without,  except,  unless,  distinguished, 

142. 
Wizard,  feminine  corresponding  to 

21. 
Would  or  should,  74-77. 
Write,  principal  parts  of,  62. 


THE   END 


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AA    000  355  364    i 


^ 


VJ 


3  1158  00507  4421 


